Lightening Strikes
by Kizmet
Summary: Something's off about Ranma and everyone in Nerima wants to know what happened one cold winter night. The clues are piling up, does Nabiki have what it takes to play detective?
1. Storm Warnings

**Storm Warnings** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

Notes: This one's pretty dark, don't say I didn't warn you.

"That jerk, why does he always have to insult my cooking? I was really trying." Akane complained as she stared out her window into the clear, icy cold night. Akane glanced at her bed but knew she wouldn't be getting to sleep until her wayward fiancé came home. "He probably went to Ukyo's or the Nekohauten." She muttered. 

The gate creaked and Akane caught a brief glimpse of red hair gleaming in the moonlight. She sighed with relief. "Ranma you idiot." The murmured insult sounded almost affectionate. 

There was a soft creak from the bathroom door. Akane moved to sit on her bed then pulled a quilt around her shoulders. She listened to the sound of water running. The rattle from the water pipes lasted for what seemed like a very long time. Afterwards all was silent. Akane strained her ears until she finally heard the soft padding of feet pass her door on their way to the guestroom where Ranma and his father, Saotome Genma were staying. Then Akane lay down and drifted into peaceful slumber. 

The next morning Akane scooped up her jogging outfit and headed for the bathroom as she stifled a yawn. Truth be told, Akane didn't like mornings anymore than her older sister Nabiki did. It was force of will that had her up at dawn every day for her morning jog, not desire. 

The cute, shorthaired girl splashed her face with water then started to squeeze some toothpaste out of the tube. A bit of red in the trashcan caught her eye. Suddenly Akane was wide awake. She bent down for a closer look and a chill shot down her spine, the object that had captured her attention was a braid of bright, red hair, tied with a bit of unadorned string; it looked like it had been chopped off with a kitchen knife. 

Akane was out the door before her toothbrush hit the floor. 

Genma stared down at his son's empty futon and grumbled unhappily, apparently he'd missed the chance to catch the boy off guard this morning. 

With a sigh Genma stepped out into the hall and saw Akane, his future daughter-in-law, as she stumbled toward the bathroom. Genma grinned to himself; if Ranma was in the bathroom this was the perfect opportunity for the kids to get to know each other better. He knew his son, the boy could shout 'uncute' at the top of his lungs a dozen times a day and it didn't hide that he was extremely fond of Tendo's youngest. Genma was also aware that endless hours of practice had given his son a healthy amount of muscle tone. It wouldn't hurt anything if they got another good look at each other, hormones had to kick in one of these days. 

Genma whistled cheerfully as he headed outside. If the boy was in the bath the whole house would hear about it shortly. If the boy wasn't there, odds were he was in the kitchen. 

The elder Saotome found his old friend, Tendo Soun sitting on the porch. He gave Soun a confident grin. "Have they made up yet?" Soun asked hopefully. 

"Neither of them can hold a grudge." Genma insisted cheerfully. 

"You're right of course, Saotome-kun. Their feelings are too strong. If only Ranma would just learn to like my little Akane's cooking." Soun sighed. 

"We could ask Tofu about a pressure point to kill the boy's sense of taste." Genma proposed. 

Soun hesitated. "Could there really be something like that?" 

"There are martial arts Tea Ceremonies, why not?" Genma replied. 

"Ranma!" Akane shouted. Soun sighed. Genma frowned. There was something off about the girl's tone; it certainly wasn't her normal bathroom encounter outrage. 

"Is something wrong?" Kasumi asked with gentle concern. 

"I… I don't know. I just… We need to find Ranma." Akane stammered. "Where is he?" She demanded as she grabbed Genma and pulled him to his feet. 

"My baby's showing concern for her fiancée." Soun wailed happily. 

Genma carefully loosened Akane's hands, took a quick breath then said. "Perhaps we should look for the boy. He wasn't in his bed when I woke this morning." 

"So he spent the night somewhere else." Nabiki suggested. She managed a sleepy smirk. 

"I heard him come home last night!" Akane snapped. She glared at her sister. 

"Lighten up Sis, it's Ranma, what's the big deal?" Nabiki asked. 

"I… I have a bad feeling." Akane said, her earlier worry returning in a rush. 

"Alright, I'll call around." Nabiki sighed. 

Akane climbed up onto the roof of her home. 

"Where do you go when you jog?" Ranma asked. He didn't look up; his ragged hair hung in his face and hid his eyes. He had a quilt wrapped tightly around his body. 

"I walked all the way down to the bridge before I thought to check up here." Akane said. She sat down beside him on the roof. 

"You shouldn't go there." Ranma flexed his hands with an unusual stiffness. The tips of his fingers were white and puffy from frostbite. Akane noticed bruises around his wrists and just above his collar. 

"Did you get in a fight with Mousse?" Uncertainly Akane reached out a hand to brush his cropped hair. "The hair looks more like Principal Kuno got lucky, but the bruises look like Mousse's chains." 

Ranma flinched and batted her hand away. "I ain't ever lost to either of them!" He stood abruptly and leapt off the roof. 

"I never said anything about loosing!" Akane exclaimed. "Or is the great Saotome Ranma beyond even taking a hit anymore?" 

Ranma blanched and the sense of wrongness crashed down on Akane again. He stood there, bundled up against the cold, cropped hair flaring wildly around his face, body tensed for an attack, his blue eyes looked panicked. "Uncute, stupid, macho tomboy!" 

"Ranma, I'm worried about you, you jerk!" Akane yelled at his retreating back. 

Nabiki grumbled irritably as she trudged down Nerima's main thoroughfare in search of her little sister's errant fiancée. She glared at the cheerful bustle of vendors and early morning shoppers. She viciously hated the species known as morning people. 

'Finding Saotome Ranma shouldn't be difficult.' Nabiki reminded herself. All one had to do was look for the most violent knot of chaos and Ranma was practically guaranteed to be at the heart of it. 

Nabiki wondered to herself how Akane managed to talk her into this. First, it was Ranma they were talking about, not someone who might actually end up seriously hurt or anything. Second, Nabiki hadn't even thought to charge her sister for her assistance. With a sigh Nabiki chalked the lapse up to the ungodly hour at which Akane had made her request. Still, she had promised to help and Tendo Nabiki had her honor to maintain, even if her honor was defined somewhat differently than that of the local martial artists. 

"Waste of time." Nabiki muttered, then she noticed a crowd of people standing in the park beside one of Nerima's many canals. Hopefully she worked her way to the front of the crowd. She felt a slight frown creasing her face at the silence around her. The crowds drawn by Ranma's fights were normally boisterous and cheerful. Outside of the Nerima Wrecking Crew, no one took their fights seriously. Sure they caused untold amounts of damage but they were the area's main tourist draw and no one ever really got hurt. All of the participants were too skilled and, whether or not they admitted it, too decent of human beings to allow their matches to end in tragedy. So while the participants saw their duels as a deadly serious matter, the spectators saw them as a special effects extravaganza brought to life and they reacted accordingly. This crowd was much too serious. 

Nabiki's hand flew to her mouth when she finally made it to the front of the crowd. Just four feet in front of her, on the other side of the yellow police tape, lay a severed human hand. Gradually Nabiki's mind made sense of the rest of the scene. Policemen were swarming the little park, documenting the occurrence. Morbidly Nabiki tried to determine how many bodies she was looking at; at least four heads were visible but she wouldn't have argued if the actual count were closer to eight or nine. It was hard to tell how the dismembered parts had once fit together. 

"Got another leg." One of the officers called. "Severed cleanly, just like the rest. What are we looking for: Some lunatic with a katana? I hear the area's know for some pretty unbelievable martial artists." 

An officer Nabiki recognized as a local patrolman, a classmate's father no less, shook his head. "They're a bunch of kids. The group's kendoist uses a bokken. They're good kids, one of them couldn't have done this." 

Nabiki found herself nodding in agreement along with the rest of the crowd. Even if an accident did happen it wouldn't be like this. Blunt force trauma was the most likely scenario. It wouldn't be a bunch of nameless strangers who got hurt either. Finally, if a member of the NWC actually killed someone the police wouldn't be looking for the killer because the killer would be sitting right by the body crying their eyes out or puking. 

Nabiki forced a parody of a grin on to her face and reminded herself one last time that this had nothing to do with a certain missing pig-tailed martial artist or his entourage. She turned around and started walking back toward the Dojo while she tried to put what she'd seen out of her mind. 

"Tadaima!" Nabiki called automatically as she toed off her shoes. 

"You're just in time, I was about to serve breakfast." Kasumi replied. 

"So it was a false alarm about Saotome." Nabiki deduced. 

Kasumi's smile faltered for a second. "I'm certain he's fine." She said. 

Nabiki understood Kasumi's hesitation as soon as she entered the family room. Ranma had been as vain about his hair as any girl _before_ Principal Kuno showed up and made Ranma's Pigtail the prize in an on-going competition. Keeping it intact was a matter of pride for Ranma. Nabiki was hard pressed to decide which scenario was less likely: Ranma encountering an opponent skilled enough to take something he valued or Ranma lopping off his own hair like a five-year-old playing barber shop. 

Curiosity with a smidgen of concern blossomed into full-fledged worry moments after breakfast was served. 

In Nabiki's experience Ranma avoiding Akane's food was prime entertainment; Ranma picking at Kasumi's food with no apparent interest was reason enough to call Dr. Tofu… and maybe check for signs of the Apocalypse. 

"Is something wrong with your meal?" Kasumi asked worriedly. 

"Boy, _Kasumi_ cooked, be appreciative or she might quit." Genma said in a stage whisper that was clearly heard by every person in the room. 

Akane started doing a slow burn. 

Ranma popped a quick bite in his mouth. "Yum… I'm just not hungry." 

A moment of dead silence descended over the table. 

"Akane, you'll take him by to see Tofu." Nabiki said finally. "You have no idea how much work it would be to recalculate the odds on all the standard fights to account for a sick Ranma." 

"I'm fine!" Ranma exclaimed as he jumped up from the table. "Can't you just leave me alone?" 

"If you'd act normal we wouldn't bother you." Akane yelled back. 

"Fine!" Ranma shouted. He dropped back into his place and the food simply disappeared from his plate, then he walked out of the room. 

Nabiki didn't say anything but she remembered Ranma learning the _Parlay du Foie_ technique to win a contest in martial arts French Dining. 

Tendo Soun's hand hovered over the Go board, he glanced at his thoroughly distracted friend and then decided not to cheat. It didn't seem worth it when he hadn't done anything to distract Genma. 

The source of Genma's distraction had been in the Dojo for over five hours now. 

"Your turn." Soun said then turned to watch Ranma. He cringed; the simple kata should have been as natural as breathing to a martial artist of Ranma's caliber. After the first hour Ranma had achieved a sort of mechanical precision but there was no artistry in his movements. 

"I taught the boy better than to allow emotion to corrupt his focus." Genma complained. He was careful to keep his voice from carrying across the yard. 

Soun nodded. "It's not easy to raise a child, much less a martial artist." 

"Hmmm." Genma agreed. "The boy normally doesn't let things get to him." 

They watched as Kasumi walked into the dojo. "Ranma, do you want me to even out your hair?" 

Ranma finished out the kata then nodded. He followed Kasumi into the kitchen. 

Kasumi sat Ranma down then wrapped a towel around his shoulders. She picked up the scissors then hesitated. "I'm not sure what would be the best style for both your forms." 

"I don't give a damn what the girl-form looks like." Ranma stated. "She's not real. I'm never letting her come back." 

Kasumi brushed her fingers through Ranma's dark hair and sighed. As she snipped she tried to superimpose her memories of the petite redhead over the boy and tried to find something that worked for both. After months of familiarity with Jusenkyo curses Kasumi knew it was only a matter of time before water found him. 

Akane started when Ranma jumped off the roof at dawn the next morning as she left the house for her morning jog. "Ranma?" 

"Goin' with ya." 

"What about your Dad?" 

Ranma shrugged. 

"Suit yourself." Akane set out at a steady pace. Ranma ran along the top of the fence half a stride behind her. 

Gosunkugi crouched behind a gatepost while he waited for Akane to pass by. 

After the first block Ranma started ranging a little further abroad. He moved ahead of Akane and roamed both sides of the street as well as the tops of the roofs and fences lining it. He never let Akane out of his sight. 

"Stop showing off!" Akane complained. 

"This ain't showing off, tomboy." 

"If you're so bored you should have just stayed at home!" Akane realized she was talking to no one and shook her head in annoyance. 

On the other side of the garden wall Gosunkugi tried to convince himself that Ranma's expression was a smile, not a baring of fangs. 

There was no give in the garden wall against Gos' back or in the arm across his throat. "Oh! Ranma, hi." 

"Gosunkugi." The pale boy could have sworn he heard a growl underlying Ranma's voice. Ranma's steel blue eyes stared through Gos. "Come near Akane again and I'll kill you. Try another love spell…" Ranma trailed off. Gos gulped. 

Ranma leapt back on top of the fence and raced after Akane. 

Gosunkugi's knees buckled and he slumped to the ground. He was shaking uncontrollably. Ranma had always scared him stiff, the martial artist was so effortlessly powerful. In the past Gos had never registered as a threat. He'd done his worst and Ranma laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. He suddenly found himself wishing he could go back to being a joke to the other boy. Until today he had no idea how scary Ranma really was.


	2. Thunder Rumbles

**Thunder Rumbles** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

Thanks to everyone who sent feedback, Wonderbee31, Wharpt, Tai Khan, Katie, obsidian-fox, powellt, glazedlookineyes101. 

Upperclassman Kuno Tatewaki, age seventeen, the self-proclaimed Blue Thunder of Furinkin High patrolled the boundaries of his secondary domain awaiting the arrival of his goddesses; the beauteous Tendo Akane and the alluring Pigtailed girl or that of his sworn rival the vile sorcerer Saotome. 

His patience was rewarded when, just minutes before the final bell was to ring, Saotome and Akane arrived at a dead run. "Saotome, I demand you release…" 

Kuno frowned in irritation as he swung his sword to ward off Ranma's attack; it really was rude for Saotome to begin the fight before he'd finished delivering his challenge. 

The foul sorcerer melted around his righteous blade in a way foreign to any natural being, a clear demonstration of his use of the dark arts. Then Saotome stopped and stood his ground. Kuno set himself to deliver a devastating blow. Saotome met it with a shout and a fist. A sound like a shot range out across the schoolyard as Kuno's bokken broke in two. 

"I know you're dense, Kuno, but get this through your head! **They don't like you!** Saotome hissed. He punctuated his declaration with strikes at Kuno's nerve clusters, not a knock out blow but one intended to cause pain. "They hate you. They would never willingly be with you. The pig-tailed girl would rather be dead than ever let you touch her!" 

Kuno found himself forced onto the defensive. He fell back with every step as he tried to use the broken hilt of his blade to block the precisely targeted blows raining down on him. 

"Ranma, stop it!" Akane yelled. The raven-haired girl had watched the progression of the fight with a growing sense of dread. Every blow Ranma launched gained in power but he wasn't trying to end the fight. A sick feeling built in the pit of her stomach. Ranma, her Ranma, came alive during his duels. Kuno generally got swatted like an insect. Today Ranma's face was closed; a barely restrained rage glowed in his eyes as he methodically tore the older boy apart. 

"They've had it with you. You're sick. You're disgusting. You're insane. I'm not playing anymore. Stay away. Stay away from them!" Ranma's threats were delivered in a tightly controlled voice. 

A stunted sense of self-preservation struggled to the forefront of Kuno's mind. The upperclassman found himself trying to duplicate Ranma's typical evasive moves. A burst of adrenalin gave him the speed he needed to twist to the side and a kick that would have shattered his ribs slipped past him to knock a water fountain from its moorings. 

A spray of cold water erupted into the air. Kuno's new found connection with reality died a sudden death as Saotome melted away and left him face to face with his Pig-tailed Girl. 

Kuno stared at her for a moment. She had cut her hair; the extreme short hairstyle emphasized her large, injured blue eyes and left her looking fey and fragile. The palpable air of terror hanging around her held Kuno frozen for a second then he enfolded her in a comforting embrace. 

The entire population of Furinkan High shivered at the wounded shriek that rent the air. The inhuman sound startled Kuno enough to step back and thus saved is life as four parallel gashes opened up across his chest. 

He watched in a hazy cloud of shock as his Pig-tailed Girl crouched on all fours as she hissed and spit at him like an angry cat. 

"Happo Fifty Yen Attack!" A childish voice piped. 

Nabiki stood just within the shelter of the school doors and waited for the inevitable confrontation. She preferred the view from the upper story windows but after witnessing Ranma's off-kilter behavior since Sunday morning she felt the need to position herself to take an active roll if necessary. Ranma wasn't predictable anymore, that realization coming on top of the nightmare-inducing scene at the park left Nabiki feeling very edgy and wanting to exert her power to control things. 

The middle Tendo daughter watched as Ranma, in his male form, treated Kuno like a potential threat rather than an annoyance. She watched an apparently baseless fury rise in Ranma as he tried to break through the kendoist's delusions and dissuade him from pursuing Akane and his female form. She watched as the water pipe burst and turned the enraged boy into a frightened girl. 

Nabiki felt her heart skip a beat when Ranma screamed in response to Kuno's touch. He sounded more like a mountain lion than a human being. When Ranma's Nekoken claws drew blood rather than shredding clothing Nabiki's mind flashed back to the blood soaked ground in the park and dismember bodies. 

"Ranma can't go cat like that!" Nabiki exclaimed. "Not that easily, not without a single feline in sight." She'd never been more relieved than when she saw Miss Hinako step through the gates and pull a fifty-yen piece out of her pocket. The Nekoken was a lot more than Nabiki was ready to mess with. 

While Miss Hinako adjusted her clothes to accommodate her suddenly fully developed form and Ranma-chan scrambled into Akane's lap, Nabiki pulled Kuno to his feet and started leading the bleeding kendoist toward the nurse's office. "You ever heard 'discretion is the better part of valor', Kuno-baby?" Nabiki heard herself babble then she bit back an uncharacteristic urge to giggle hysterically. "No, I can't imagine that you have." 

For his part Kuno was silent. He raised a hand to tentatively touch the deep gashes across his chest, apparently incapable of rationalizing away the fact that his beloved 'Pig-tail Girl' had attacked him with deadly intent. 

Nabiki left the stunned samurai-wannbe in the school nurse's care. Then she sought out one of her many debtors. "Tanaka, I know you're just dying to do me a favor." Nabiki began. "And, lucky for you, you have some information I want, or more precisely, your dad does." 

Akane blushed a fiery red as ninety-five pounds of crazed fiancé crashed into her. As much as she wanted proof that Ranma cared for her, she didn't want it like this. She didn't want him making public displays of affection; not in front of the whole school, certainly not when he thought he was a cat, absolutely not when her fiancé was a disgustingly cute and well-endowed girl. 

As normal, what Akane wanted didn't matter. Ranma was in her lap, shamelessly pressing up against her… Akane was half a second away from punching the feline-minded boy turned girl into a low earth orbital when she realized the sound coming from her fiancé wasn't purring, it was a distressed mewling. 

Ranma pushed his, currently her, head under Akane's chin. In his female-form Ranma was notably smaller than Akane. Lost in the madness of the Nekoken the slight body was capable of more contortions than a yoga-practitioner. He, she, fitted her entire body into Akane's lap, pleading for attention, for comfort. 

Akane's building anger deflated like a punctured balloon. Ever since finding Ranma's severed braid in the trash Akane had been filled with a deep sense of uneasiness and guilt. Something was horribly wrong with her fiancé, something much more serious than the fading bruises around his wrists and throat. Watching Ranma over the last twenty-four hours was like being given pieces of a puzzle. They were doled out one by one and nothing connected yet, but the hints were forming a picture in Akane's mind that disturbed her in a way she wasn't ready to examine. 

The disconcerting hows and whys and whens, oh the whens were the worst part of it, but they weren't hard to set aside in the face of Neko-Ranma's immediate and obvious distress. Akane's anger was diffused and she pushed aside her embarrassment; Ranma was in some sort of pain, dealing with that came first. 

Akane wrapped her arms tightly around the girl in her lap. Slowly she began to rock back and forth as she hummed a lullaby she remembered her mother singing. 

It was the ugliest thing Ryoga had ever seen. It was flat black, heavy and cold in his hands. It had been designed for only one purpose and it was brutally efficient. There was nothing of the art in this thing, even thinking about using it felt like a betrayal of both himself and every opponent he'd ever faced. 

Still there was one picture Ryoga couldn't get out of his mind… 

_Ryoga wandered down the deserted street as he wondered which city, which country, he was currently in. The last time he'd asked for directions to Nerima they'd been given in what he thought might have been Russian. That had been so disheartening he hadn't even tried to learn where he'd wandered for the next two weeks. _

Wherever he was, it was getting late and he needed to set up camp. That in mind, Ryoga turned into the first park he came across. He found an out of the way spot then started a fire, set a kettle of water to boil and erected his tent. 

He'd just about finished when a shout of anger, disbelief and outrage broke the peace of the night. 

A Hibiki never went **anywhere** without the basic necessities. In this season of bitter cold and frequent, icy rains having a tent to take shelter in could mean the difference between living and dying. The night air was already cold enough that being doused with water could easily turn into a serious problem. Ryoga wished he'd undergone the same sort of speed training Ranma had as he broke down his gear and stuffed it back in his pack. 

Shock and extreme pain under-laid the anger in the second shriek. The sound cut off abruptly and the awful silence that followed was worse than the scream. Since being cursed Ryoga couldn't count the number of nights he'd spent in his cursed form, curled up in his pack with a chemical hot pack, one more night like that wouldn't hurt. Ryoga slung his his half-empty pack over his shoulder and started running in the direction he thought the scream had come from. 

The third scream was inhuman, the sound made the hair on the back of Ryoga's neck stand on end. He corrected his orientation and redoubled his pace. 

Several minutes later Ryoga broke into a small clearing, what he saw shocked him to the core: Ranma-chan crouched in the moonlit glade. The powder blue Chinese shirt she wore was barely long enough to be considered descent. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight; it turned her red hair and lips black. The moonlight made the blood look black as well. With a delicate precision that was both utterly inhuman and completely matter of a fact the girl licked the blood from her hands and arms. 

Ranma paused; she raised her head and their eyes met across the glade. In those flat, blue eyes Ryoga saw every predator that had ever tried to make a meal of him. The lost boy broke and ran. 

Ryoga's mouth thinned into a determined line. Ranma had gone insane. Ranma had killed someone. Minutes after the fact, still covered in his victim's blood, Ranma's eyes had been completely empty of both guilt and remorse. Those eyes had no trace of humanity in them and they'd touched off a primal terror in the depths of Ryoga's being. Ryoga had been defeated by Ranma dozens of times in the past. He'd threatened to kill Ranma on a regular basis. He'd never been afraid of Ranma before that night. 

The gun felt awkward in his hands. It felt wrong, but the creature he'd seen that night was dangerous and it lived with Akane. That thing had all of Ranma's power but it didn't have his restraints. 

Ryoga sighed. "I'll take it." The pawnshop owner babbled something in a foreign language. Ryoga dug a small pouch out of his pack and shook out an uncut diamond he'd picked up somewhere. The storekeeper smiled, nodded and handed the gun to Ryoga then showed him how to load it. 

Tendo Soun watched his future son-in-law from behind his newspaper and tried not to sigh. 

Two days ago his little girl came home from school at noon with Ranma. Apparently the boy had slipped into the Nekoken state during a fight at school. Ranma had injured his opponent badly enough to necessitate stitches and it had taken Akane hours to bring Ranma out of the cat-state. Worst of all both Nabiki and Akane agreed that the only feline involved in the incident was Ranma himself. 

For that reason they'd all decided it would be best if Ranma didn't go back to school until this newest wrinkle in Ranma's life was fully understood. Ranma himself had been opposed it but he'd relaxed once it was decided that Akane should also stay home in case he went cat again. Oddly enough Ranma had asked Ukyo to walk to and from school with Nabiki. Since it was a favor for her Ranchan, Ukyo had agreed in a heartbeat. 

Soun superstitiously stole another worried glance at the dark haired boy. Ranma was his old friend Genma's son, a brilliant martial artist, an honorable and warm-hearted young man, but Soun was seriously thinking about reconsidering the engagement. The chaos surrounding Ranma and the other girls would undoubtedly disappeared once the marriage was preformed. Akane and Ranma's fighting didn't hide the honest affection between them. The curse… The curse had bothered Soun when Genma had first told him about it, but that had changed when a giant panda had leapt out of the Tendo's Koi pond and assumed a stance Soun knew almost as well as his own preferred beginning stance. The brief clash between father and son had let Soun see his best friend's spirit inside the panda's body. After that the curse hadn't been that much of an issue. 

What worried Soun was the Nekoken. 

"A true Martial Artist should be willing to sacrifice their life for their art." He'd said it himself more than once; it was just that Genma seemed much more willing to put that motto to the test with regards to their children. Ranma had sacrificed friendships for a life on the road. He'd lost his mother to the seppuku pledge, a part of his identity to Jusenkyo and a part of his sanity to the Nekoken training. 

It hadn't seemed so bad before. They knew what triggered the Nekoken, Ranma snapped right out of it and most importantly Akane could control him when he thought he was a cat. Soun had his doubts even then. Risks and sacrifices for the art aside, Soun wasn't so sure about having his little girl marry a boy who was somewhat insane. His doubts hadn't been strong enough to overcome his reluctance to criticize his best friend's parenting methods. Genma's mistake had been an honest one after all. However, Ranma's last descent into the Nekoken madness had invalidated the first two premises that Soun drew reassurance from. What if the third fell as well? What if Akane suddenly lost her ability to control Ranma's cat-persona? 

A loud crash broke Soun out of his thoughts. Ranma dashed upstairs. There were several more crashes and a number of black rose petals drifted down the stairs. 

Soun picked up one of the petals then relaxed; it was only Kodachi. The Kuno siblings were the only people who could pursue a romantic relationship with Ranma without sending Akane into a fit of jealous rage. Even she didn't seriously believe Ranma had any interest in the insane gymnast. 

A trail of rose petals marked her path. Her gardens were immaculate. Her pet alligator was well fed. There wasn't a gymnastic match any time soon. Her father was out of town. Her brother's fixation on Tendo Akane and that wretched Pig-tailed Girl was boring… It was definitely time to go visit her darling Ranma. Kuno Kodachi, the Black Rose, threw back her head and laughed in delight. Everyone in earshot cringed. 

Kodachi slipped through an open window on the second story of the Tendo home and found herself in the family bathroom. Naturally the furo was in use. Akane stood up with a dark scowl on her face. The gymnast's ribbon lashed out at Akane. The shorthaired girl ducked then threw a shampoo bottle at Kodachi. 

A moment later Ranma burst threw the door. His battle aura was already glowing brightly. 

"Ranma!" Akane shrieked in outrage. 

"Ranma-darling!" Kodachi exclaimed as she threw herself at the boy. 

Ranma grabbed Kodachi's wrist then twisted her arm behind her back and marched her out of the bathroom. 

Akane blinked in disbelief. She pulled on her robe and followed them. 

Kodachi did her best to snuggle up to Ranma. "Mmmm, Ranma are we going to your room?" 

"I'm taking you home." 

"What!!!" 

"Oh yes, my room. A much better choice." 

"I'm walking her home, either that or I'm calling Kuno and he can walk her home." Ranma stated. 

Nabiki stuck her head out of her room. "This could be fun. I'll ring Kuno-baby." 

"There's no need for these games Ranma-darling. If you wish to spend time with me all you have to do is ask." Kodachi leaned backward to flutter her eyelashes at Ranma. 

"Just toss her out like always." Akane snarled. 

"No." Ranma stated. 

"You have no say peasant." 

Akane saw red. The next thing anyone knew Kodachi was sprawled on the floor and Ranma was holding Akane's fist. His eyes were wide and ringed with white. "I'm not letting ya send me flying, Akane, not anymore." Ranma stated. "And I'm not letting her walk home on her own." 

Nabiki grabbed Akane's arm and pulled her close. "You want to figure out what's going on with Ranma, play along." Nabiki hissed in her sister's ear. Then, more loudly, she said, "I'll call Kuno, it's not worth fussing over." 

"Fine." Akane snatched up Kodachi's ribbon and used it to bind the Black Rose's wrists behind her back. 

"Unhand me you wretched girl!" Akane watched the gymnast squirm with satisfaction. 

Twenty uncomfortable minutes later Kuno announced his arrival. "Saotome, what have you done with my sister? And why do I have to take her back? Ah, Tendo Akane, your beauty illuminates this hovel." 

Ranma shoved Kodachi at her brother. "Take her home Kuno and keep her from running around at night." 

"I have no control over my twisted sister." 

"Ranma-darling, I can take care of myself." 

Ranma spun Kodachi into a wall and held her there, her feet dangling a few inches off the floor. "Do ya think you're better than me?" Ranma blanched as he realized what he'd said. He released Kodachi and turned to Kuno. "Who's the better fighter? Kodachi or Ranko, the Pig-tailed Girl, I mean." 

"The vivacious Pig-tailed Girl is an exceptional martial artist." Kuno admitted. 

"Then figure out how to keep Kodachi home." 

It felt surreal. Akane watched the interplay between Ranma and the Kunos with a feeling of disconnection. It was as if Ranma were speaking in some sort of code and she didn't have the key to decrypt it. 

What did Ranma's martial arts capabilities have to do with Kodachi walking home alone at night? She could almost understand referring to his female-form as the Pig-tailed Girl to illustrate a point for the Kunos but what point had been made? And why had he called his girl-form Ranko? Kuno and his sister had never heard that name for Ranma-chan before; that was the name they'd given to his mother, not the Kunos. 

The one thing that Akane could see was that this all meant something to Nabiki. Ranma may have left her out of the loop, but not her sister. Akane's temper started rising, it wouldn't be the first time they'd ganged up on her either. However Nabiki was the one person on the planet whom Akane automatically assumed to be more culpable than Ranma in any given situation involving the two of them. 

After the Kunos left Akane followed Nabiki up to her room. "What is going on around here?" She demanded. 

Nabiki's habitual superior smirk looked forced. "Little Sis, you know that while I might sell partial information, I don't do it until **I** know the whole story. I have a theory and some supporting evidence; unlike some, I know the difference between theory and fact." 

"I'm your sister, he's my fiancé. Tell me what's going on!" 

"No, both you and Daddy fly off the handle too easily." 

"What's that pervert done now? Tell me Nabiki." 

"You just made my point for me." Nabiki replied. 

Akane turned and stomped out of Nabiki's room. Her hand was on the doorknob when Nabiki's quiet voice brought her to a stop. "Little Sis…" Nabiki paused then sighed. "I… I think it'd be smart to treat Ranma like a grenade with a missing pin for while."


	3. High Pressure

**High Pressure** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

Thanks for the feedback: glazedlookineyes101, goku905041, obsidian-fox, dogbertcarroll, Katie, Hououza, Shinigami 

Mousse awoke to silence. The mummy was in China dealing with some village business; her absence was expected. Shampoo had gone out just before closing to deliver a take-out order. She should have been back. The silence filling the Nekohauten mocked Mousse. Shampoo, the girl he loved, should have been back… unless she decided to sneak into Ranma Saotome's bedroom again. 

"Oh Shampoo, why can't you see that I'm the one who loves you?" Mousse sighed hopelessly and reached for his glasses. He tried to cheer himself up with the knowledge that he and Shampoo would be spending the whole day working together at the restaurant. 

The Chinese boy gathered his bathing supplies and headed to the bathhouse on the next block. He stashed his glasses in a cubical, found an empty stool, lathered up then dumped a bucket of cool water over his head. Mousse flapped his wings to get rid of excess water then used his beak to re-oil and smooth his ruffled feathers. Once he was done grooming the duck flew across the bathhouse. He landed in the warm pool and transformed back into a fit, seventeen-year old boy with long hair. 

For the most part the other patrons didn't look twice. The bathhouse was not only the closest one to the Nekohauten, it was also just four blocks from the Tendo Dojo. Mousse's morning routine was down right tame when compared to the antics that went on when Ranma tried to keep Happosai from harassing the women bathers. 

Mousse collected his belongings and went back to find the Nekohauten dark and empty. The myopic boy looked resigned as he went to work getting the restaurant ready for business. Opening time came and went without Shampoo. Dishes piled up in the sink as Mousse tried to keep up with the incoming orders. He stuck it out through the lunch rush then closed up shop and went to look for his beloved; his glasses were perched on top of his head. 

Mousse spotted a vaguely familiar blur and hope overrode common sense. "My dearest Shampoo, I was so worried!" 

He had a split second to realize that the chest under his cheek was much to firm and flat to belong to Shampoo then he was flying backward. Mousse impacted the wall with enough force to crack bricks. After a few seconds the hidden weapons master pried himself out of the wall and slumped to the ground. When he landed it jarred his glasses; they slid off the top of his head and landed on his nose. 

Ranma stood across the street, his fists were clenched, he was breathing hard and his battle aura was blazing around him. "I am not Shampoo." He continued to himself. "Shampoo grabs me like that. You grab Shampoo; you thought I was Shampoo. I wouldn't kill Shampoo for glomping me, I shouldn't kill you." 

"Ranma?" Akane asked. She put a hand on his arm. Ranma jumped. 

"Saotome, how dare you distract me when Shampoo is missing." 

"Missing? When?" Ranma's voice gained the chill calm of the soul of ice. 

"Last night, she went out to make a delivery. She never came back." 

"Where was she going?" Ranma demanded. 

"Oh, I didn't think of that." Mousse dug a slip of paper out of his loose sleeves. "The delivery was to the Cat Temple." 

"Airen will come for Shampoo." The lavender haired beauty pouted. 

"Why don't you want to be my bride?" Her giant, feline capturer sounded hurt. 

"Is too dull waiting for rescue, must be why violent girl is always in bad mood. Shampoo call Ranma, tell him rescue needed." 

"No!" 

Shampoo stalked across the temple to confront her kidnapper, her eyes glittered angrily. "Shampoo call!" 

"Humph! It won't do any good. Go ahead and call, see if I care." 

Voices drifted through the open door. "I thought this place was abandoned." Akane said. 

"Why does it have to be c-cats?" 

"Airen!" Shampoo rushed past her kidnapper, her arms spread wide to greet her beloved groom to be. She trampled Mousse on her way to Ranma. "Ranma come save Shampoo from too, too tragic fate!" 

"Shampoo will loose her human form if she leaves my side." The ghost cat, Mao Mo Lin laughed triumphantly. "She has no choice but to become my bride!" 

Ranma's eyes glowed with terror and fury. 

"Unless…" Shampoo began. 

"Let her go." The ice in Ranma's voice cracked. 

"She will be my bride!" The ghost cat insisted petulantly. 

"I won't let you rape her." Ranma's voice dropped into a low growl. As he stalked toward the ghost cat his posture shifted. His movements became more fluid, less human. He bared his teeth in an angry snarl. 

"All Shampoo needs is kiss from true love!" Shampoo interjected helpfully. 

"I'll kiss you my beloved Shampoo!" Mousse declared. 

Shampoo booted her myopic suitor in the face. "Kiss from one Shampoo loves." The girl clarified disdainfully. 

"Grrrrow!!" The low snarl drew all eyes to Ranma. He slashed at the ghost cat with his ki-claws. Where they intersected the cat's form empyreal wisps of the cat's substance dissipated. 

Akane, Mousse and Shampoo watched with stunned expressions as Ranma brutally tore through Mao Mo Lin's defenses and scattered his substance to the wind. Only seconds later the giant bell that hung from Mao Mo Lin's collar fell to the ground as the neck that supported it was rent asunder. Ranma pounced on the bell and ripped it to pieces. 

"Saotome… killed him." Mousse said, his voice full of disbelief. 

"Is ghost cat, is already dead." Shampoo argued. "Airen save Shampoo; is good." The Amazon girl smiled and took a tentative step toward Ranma. He drew back in response. His back arched and he raised one hand to emphasize his warning hiss. 

Akane gasped as Ranma eyed the two Amazons with hostile intent. She ran to the courtyard fountain and sent a spray of water toward them. "Get out of here, now!" 

Mousse spread his wings and took to the skies. Shampoo lost herself in the crowd of cats milling around the temple. Then the lavender Siamese settled in to watch. 

Akane crouched in front of Ranma and held out her hand. "Here kitty, kitty." She called tentatively. 

Ranma came to her with the fluid grace of a cat but instead of allowing her to pet him he nudged her into the temple. 

Uncertainly Akane settled herself into a chair. Ranma prowled the outskirts of the room. He glared out into the courtyard as he waited for an attack. 

Nabiki assessed her escort out of the corner of her eye. With her breasts bound and her hair pulled back Ukyo Kuonji made a very pretty young man, but the oversized spatula slung across her back warned people against mistaking 'his' slender build for a lack of fighting ability. 

After Ranma's display over Kodachi Nabiki wondered if he expected other people to mistake Ukyo for a guy or if he still subconsciously thought of his old pal Ucchan as a boy. It was a little bit sexist, but considering what she believed had happened it wasn't totally unjustified, Ranma probably wouldn't have been a target in his male form. 

As the pair made their way off school grounds Tanaka intercepted them, he held a folder nervously in his hands. "After this we're even." He said as he planted himself in front of Nabiki. "I mean he's my dad, but I'm still stealing a police officers notes." 

"Not stealing, photocopying." Nabiki said. "I told you to put the notes back." 

"I did what you told me, it's still a big deal." 

"Alright, consider your slate clean." Nabiki said as she held out her hand. Tanaka handed her the folder and hurried away. Ukyo watched curiously then with concern as Nabiki skimmed through the folder. Her face paled as she read. 

What the notes said wasn't exactly a surprise. All they did was confirm her suspicions, still seeing it in black and white left her feeling queasy. Certain phrases seemed to leap out at her: Strands of red hair found caught in a ring. Signs of recent sexual activity discovered on one body. Regurgitated blood and alcohol found several meters from the bodies. Dismembered. Four parallel blades of near perfect sharpness. 

Knowledge was power, Nabiki thought, but you never knew enough. Now she knew what happened, she still didn't know what to do. Nabiki walked along side Ukyo, lost in her thoughts. She tried to make a plan, all the while feeling completely out of her depth. 

"It's been over a week since Ranchan or Akane came to school." Ukyo commented. "Mind telling me what's going on?" 

"The whole school is talking." Nabiki said distractedly. "Ranma went cat on Kuno. Akane's the only one who can control him when he's like that." 

"I heard." Ukyo replied. "I even dug up the old rumors about Genma putting my Ranchan through some idiot training that makes him so scared of cats that he goes crazy around them. What I want to know is what happened to make Ranma as scared of Kuno as he is of cats." 

Nabiki stopped dead in her tracks. "Ch! I can't believe I didn't put it together. Ranma was sort of okay until he got splashed, then Kuno goes into his whole Pig-tailed Girl routine. 'When his fear reaches its peak he yowls.' It was never the cats that triggered the Nekoken; it was fear. Uncle Saotome's idiot technique made Ranma ailuphobic, but all it takes is terror, not cats." 

"What the hell did Kuno do?" Ukyo demanded. 

"Kuno-baby?" Nabiki said defensively. "He just picked the wrong day to express his affections. He may have been the idiot who came up with 'defeat Akane in combat to date her' but he always held back. He's still waiting for Akane to let him win. He'd never do anything like that to anyone, especially not to Akane or his Pig-tailed Girl. I'd never sell pictures of Akane or Ranma to him if he were like that." 

"Then who?" Ukyo reached back to grasp her primary weapon. 

Nabiki snorted. "Ranma took care of that. Vengeance has been served. If you want to be useful tell me how to fix him." 

Ukyo's hand fell away from her spatula. Her eyes dropped to the pavement. 

"Yeah, well let me know if you think of anything." Nabiki scaled back the sarcasm in her voice. "Seriously, if you think of anything let me know, I'm at a loss." 

The pair continued on in disheartened silence until reaching the Tendo's street. 

Akane appeared at the other end of the street. Ranma stalked along beside her on all fours. He shot Nabiki and Ukyo a warning glare then apparently recognized them and relaxed marginally. 

"He went cat again?" Nabiki asked rhetorically. "What set him off this time?" 

Ukyo studied her best friend and fiancé with a wary sort of curiosity. She took a tentative step toward the feline-minded boy and held out her hand as if he were a real cat. 

Akane grimaced. "Mao Mo Lin." 

"The normal stuff." Nabiki summed up with relief. 

Ranma sniffed at Ukyo's fingers tentatively then allowed the okonomiyaki chef to awkwardly pat his head. 

"Sure, normal stuff, only he's been like that for hours." Akane complained. 

Nabiki thought about that for a few minutes. 

Ukyo's comfort level had grown. She progressed from uncertain pats to rubbing Ranma's back comfortingly. Ranma responded by pressing closer to her. Ukyo hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry you… got hurt." 

Akane twitched jealously as Neko-Ranma relaxed bonelessly against Ukyo. "Chill, he didn't seek her out." Nabiki hissed. "You're still the one he chooses and I told you this isn't a good time for your temper." 

Nabiki stepped away from Akane, in a normal voice she said. "I suppose if other fears can send him into the Nekoken it makes sense that it's harder to bring him out of it if he's already severely stressed. Akane, what finally got him back to normal after the deal with Kuno?" 

"That time was different, he acted so hurt. I just held her until she fell asleep." Akane said. "This time, I don't know. Ranma was… I thought he was going to go after Shampoo and Mousse once he was done with Mao Mo Lin. Nabiki, you can't kill a ghost, right?" 

"Since you have to be dead to be a ghost it would seem redundant." Nabiki replied. "Ranma did some damage I take it." 

Akane nodded. 

"Ranchan purrs?" Ukyo commented. The other two didn't really pay attention. "I didn't think humans could purr." 

"So he's more secure and more aggressive in his male form regardless of whether he's thinking human or cat." Nabiki said to herself. 

"He was pretty aggressive with Kuno." Akane remarked. 

"Aggressive or desperate to get away?" Nabiki asked. "Did he go hide in your arms after one swipe at the Ghost Cat?" 

"Ranma kept attacking until there was nothing left of Mao Mo Lin." Akane said with a shiver. 

"K'so." Nabiki said. Ukyo and Akane gave her a questioning look. "You haven't noticed? Lately Ranma refers to his girl-form as either unreal or as a separate person. He practically goes into shock if his curse gets activated. As a guy he's overly protective and volatile. As a girl he's terrified. Kuno and Gosunkugi are suddenly at the top of his threat list; Ukyo, if you see Tsubasa you should probably tell him to run. The same pattern holds true when he's neko. Akane, do you remember if any of those books Kasumi borrowed from Tofu dealt with psychology? Ch, I wish Dr. Tofu were still around." 

"Umm, guys? I think he's asleep?" Ukyo said. 

"Well both of you are martial artists, I'm sure you can figure out how to get him inside." Nabiki said as she turned into the front gate. "I'm going to talk to Kasumi, grasping at straws and all that."


	4. Storm's Eye

**Storm's Eye** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

Thanks for the feedback: glazedlookineyes101, Jayrock5054, obsidian-fox, Wonderbee31, Shinigami, ikari shinji, Katie, ranger5, Jerry Unipeg, Hououza, A.Nonmyous, dogbertcarroll 

Cologne hurried back to the Nekohauten, the news paper article she'd seen was like a whip at her back. Six dead, four parallel blades of impossible sharpness: the Nekoken. She'd been just fourteen years old the first time she encountered someone trained in that forbidden technique. That boy, and every other that came after him, hadn't been able to deal with it as well as Ranma had. After what she'd read Cologne was afraid that Ranma had become like all the other victims of the technique. 

She liked her Son-in-law; he both amused and impressed her on a regular basis. Cologne knew her responsibilities though and she'd never shirked them, no matter how distasteful they might be. Still she wouldn't act until she was certain, but if it were the case, how could she not act? She knew what could happen. 

_"You have to leave me behind Kun Lon! You're my little sister and my student, it's my duty to watch out for you!" _

"Ba Rei, we can fight it together. I won't run away and leave you." The younger girl argued. For hours they'd been stalked through the forest near their home. They'd yet to get a good look at the creature, but after it had cut through a hundred year old tree with a slash of it's paw they hadn't needed to see it to be scared of it. 

It knew they were afraid and it used that to herd them away from the village. It had driven them into a box canyon. The eighteen-year-old Ba Rei wanted Kun Lon to climb out while she kept the creature occupied below. Kun Lon knew she'd never forgive herself if she left her older sister behind. The fourteen-year-old planted her feet and gave her sister a determined look. 

A moment later **it** slunk out of the trees toward them and made their argument a moot point. It was small, its head and torso were covered by fur like an animal, but it's arms and legs looked human. It didn't move like a human though, it was fast and fluid. Half a dozen feet from their position it stopped and crouched, it wriggled its hindquarters like some bizarre cat then pounced. Ba Rei intercepted its path and it cut her into pieces. 

Kun Lon was too horrified to scream as the thing batted her sister's head around like a ball. She was too scared to stand and fight like the Amazon Warrior she aspired to be. She slipped past the distracted monster and ran. Her movement caught the creature's eye and it chased after her. Having seen its speed Kun Lon knew it could catch her at any time, instead it played with her. It let her keep just one step ahead. Occasionally it would leap at her, knock her off her feet, then back off and let her run again. After the first few seconds she was in a blind panic, she never even saw the man until she ran smack into him. 

The man wore Dragonscale armor, which marked him as a member of the Musk royal family. He roughly shoved Kun Lon behind him and signaled his retainers. The six warriors spread out, two of them carried heavy nets that shimmered with mystical powers. 

When the creature leapt after its prey, one of the men threw his net over it. At the last minute it twisted out of the way, then leapt at the nearest warrior, a battle scarred warrior whose armor was decorated with the tusks of a wild boar. The warrior deflected the creature's claws with a rune engraved shield, despite the protective wards on the shield it came out of the clash with deep grooves in its surface. 

The Musk Prince sent a blast of pure ki at the creature and managed to knock it off its feet. The second net-wielder made his cast and while the creature sought to free itself of the coils of enspelled rope the Musk warriors fell on it with spears. When it was over the Musk Prince offered Kun Lon a hand. "I'm sorry you were caught up in this." 

Kun Lon stared past the Prince at the creature that had killed her sister. In death she saw what it truly was. A boy, no more than six years old, clad in a leopard skin. 

Prince Basil of the Musk and his men had escorted her home after they'd collected her sister's body. They brought the boy's body with them as well. Prince Basil went before the Council of the Elders to make his apologies to her people and to explain that it hadn't been a deliberate act of war, merely a mistake. A sect of the Musk had been experimenting with a new technique and something had gone wrong. 

Over the next decade nearly two dozen more young boys had escape the Musk after being trained in the Nekoken and made their way to Amazon lands where her people had been forced to hunt them down to prevent more deaths like her sister's. The oldest of the Nekoken maddened boys had been eleven, but they'd had no choice but to kill them. The Amazon people never learned how many other children were killed or driven insane before the technique was sealed by the Musk. 

Cologne had hoped to never see it again, but leave it to a fool like Saotome Genma to unearth that ungodly technique. Still Ranma had so much promise and unlike any of the others he had returned to himself. She didn't want to see another child killed for having been made a victim of the Nekoken. She wanted the six dead in the park to have been a justified killing and to forget that it ever happened, but before she could do that she needed to know the circumstances and if it were likely to happen again. It was her duty. 

Genma glanced at the empty futon beside his and sighed. He headed up to the roof. For several moments Genma just stood there and watched the boy huddle under a blanket as he stared out into the dawn. "You should sleep more." 

"I slept this afternoon; after I went cat." 

"You've hardly slept all week. It's going to tell on your reflexes." 

"You want to try me old man?" 

"That's the spirit boy." Genma smiled, he was happy to have their relationship back on familiar ground. He leapt to the yard below and assumed a beginning stance. 

Ranma shrugged off the blanket and joined his father. Genma frowned at his son's overly formal posture; it was a far cry from his normal, deceptively careless fighting stance. 

The pair exchanged blows. Genma refrained from offering criticism. He also avoided any throws that would dump his son in the pond. Genma's awareness of danger was one of his most sharply honed senses. With the general air of something being off about Ranma and the ease with which he'd been slipping into the Nekoken Genma was paying attention to his instincts. 

Genma blocked a series of attacks and tossed Ranma across the yard. He flinched when Ranma smashed into the outer wall of the house; he hadn't meant to throw him that hard. The boy assumed that as long as no one saw him not eating they wouldn't notice, still Genma hadn't realized just how much weight Ranma was loosing until that moment. The boy didn't eat, he hardly slept, he practiced the art like a lifeless automaton and all his father could think to do was goad him into a sparring match Genma thought in an odd moment of self-loathing. 

Ranma launched a flying kick at his father. Genma countered with the one move in his repertoire that should never have come automatically. Afterwards Genma could only explain it by saying his thoughts had been more on the past week than on the fight; after all, the Cradle from Hell was a specialized type of move, dependant on the overwhelming embarrassment suffered by a teenage boy in the face of parental displays of affection. Ranma might be the premier martial artist of his generation but he was still Genma's child and that insane, ridiculous move had reminded them both of that fact. Genma had needed that reminder when he first realized that his son had surpassed him in skill, but that should have been the end of that particular attack. It happened in an instant. Genma redirected the force of Ranma's attack then pulled the boy out of the air and into an enfolding hug. For a moment Genma felt like he was holding a statue then Ranma collapsed against him. The boy was sobbing silently. 

Genma imagined he felt the caress of a blade against the back of his neck. He glanced around the yard as if he expected his wife to materialize out of thin air. He loved Nodoka dearly and still didn't have a clue as to why she'd agreed to marry a lout like him, but Genma knew better than anyone that Nodoka possessed her share of quirks. 

She'd been a very nervous young mother, utterly terrified that they were somehow raising Ranma wrong. She'd been completely unable to listen to advise from either friends or doctors when they told her it was natural and healthy for babies, even boy babies, to cry. From the first, Ranma's tears had the power to send Nodoka running for the nearest sharp object. Genma had known, without a shadow of a doubt, that there was no way any of them would survive teething if half the things Soun said about his girls were true. 

So when his sixteen-year-old son unexpectedly broke down in tears Genma's first reaction was to make sure that both his wife and her sword were elsewhere. Once that was accomplished Genma leaned back against the garden wall, settled Ranma into a more comfortable position and just let the boy cry. Nodoka wouldn't have approved but personally, Genma didn't give a damn. Ranma was one of only three people in the whole world whom he cared about; a few tears couldn't change that. The purpose, the original purpose, behind the training journeys had simply been to separate Ranma and Nodoka until the boy was old enough to understand that he had to humor his mother's peculiarities. They could have gone home any time after Ranma's seventh birthday but Genma had been having too much fun. 

There'd been a time when Genma had believed that he and Soun were cut from the same cloth but the day Soun met his future wife, Himiko, was the day when Soun's wanderlust had taken a fatal blow. Once Genma realized what had happened he set out to find a wife of his own on the assumption that the same thing would happen to him. Traveling by him self just wasn't the same. So he'd married Nodoka, settled down and started teaching at the dojo with Soun. Genma quickly realized that he hated the indolent little brats he was supposed to teach. They had no aptitude and less dedication to his art. He got bored listening to Soun prattle on about his daughters. And Nodoka's presence in his bed had never stopped him from dreaming about life on the road. 

Having a child had been Genma's last-ditch plan to find contentment at home, instead Ranma turned into the perfect excuse to escape the trap he'd built for himself. Nodoka gave her stamp of approval when Genma suggested taking their son on training trips. She got more reluctant as the trips got longer and longer but she always agreed in the end. The promise of a male heir to join the two branches of Anything Goes had satisfied Soun. Genma told himself it was the only possible way to keep Nodoka from acting rashly… The truth was Genma would have taken any excuse to get away from the settled life he'd created for himself. 

As Ranma got older the trips eclipsed Genma's earlier travels with Soun. Ranma had an unparalleled talent for the art and he was a quick learner. He accepted harsh living conditions and worse training methods with a trusting smile… Well, until the Nekoken training anyway. Best of all traveling with an outgoing and adorable child opened possibilities Genma had never dreamed existed. 

It had been great, the best time of Genma's life, but time accomplished what nothing else could. After more than a decade on the road with Ranma, Genma started missing Soun and Nodoka. He started to think that the guarantee of food in his belly and a roof over his head every night was worth giving up the excitement of the life of a wandering martial artist. The trip to China had always been intended as one last adventure before he took the boy home and started praying that Ranma was more suited for a settled life than he'd been. 

Genma smiled a little sadly, he shouldn't have worried so much; it seemed Ranma would never suffer for lack of excitement. The boy drew chaos like a lodestone drew iron filings. The elder Saotome stroked the silky black hair pressed against his shoulder; he just hoped Ranma hadn't been found by more trouble than he could stand. 

Holding the boy felt marginally more constructive than sparring with him had but Genma was still at a loss. The only sort of people problems he had experience with solving were the sort he could run away from or bury under a mountain and lately he'd began to question how effective those techniques really were. Happosai had dug himself out and too many of the problems Genma had left in the dust had arrived in Nerima lately. The only thing in Genma's experience that compared to the broken look in Ranma's eyes was the change Himiko's death had wrought in Soun. Genma had become resigned to the fact that he'd lost all but the barest remnant of his old training partner. Now he felt like he was loosing his son as well and he didn't even know why. 

Nabiki stared at the list she'd made. 

_No more cheesecake shots._ It would cut into her revenue but it wouldn't be hard to accomplish. In fact getting a picture, a good picture, of Ranma's girl-form would be damn near impossible. Ranma hardly slept and when the water magnet part of his curse kicked in Ranma's entire body radiated shocked distress. Nabiki didn't have the stomach to photograph that. Pictures were out for the time being. 

_No displays from over amorous admirers._ That one would be harder. Akane wasn't capable of admitting, let alone showing, her emotions. Ukyo wasn't that demonstrative to start with and she knew enough about what was going on to know that now wasn't the time to push. Shampoo, now there was a problem. Nabiki figured that if she dropped some hints around Cologne Shampoo could be backed off. Then there were the Kunos: no common sense, no connection to reality and no restraint. At least Kodachi didn't have a romantic interest in Ranma's girl-form. Ranma wasn't playing around anymore, Kodachi hadn't been anywhere near his class for a long time. It wasn't likely that she could make Ranma loose control while he was in his natural form, but she could add unwanted and unwelcome stress. Tatewaki, on the other hand, was dead; it was only a matter of time. The True Blunder was grabby and aggressive, he targeted Ranma's girl-form, he was obnoxious about it... He wasn't the type to let a little thing like a hundred and forty stitches keep him from the object of his affections. Nabiki groaned; Kuno-baby was going to take careful handling or a body bag. 

_No attacks from rivals._ It wouldn't take much to convince Cologne to douse Mousse and lock him in his cage for a month or so. Ryoga could be expected to show up any where at any time but he **hadn't** taken advantage during the strength sapping moxibustion incident. If she could talk with Ryoga he might be willing to lay off for a while. Ranma wasn't running around in his girl-form, hopefully 'her' rivalry with Kodachi would never come up. Kuno-baby was a pain in the rear under any circumstances. Principal Kuno, well he was a thorn in the side of every Furinkan student, but Ranma wasn't going to school and Ranma had hacked his own hair off. Nabiki felt a bitter laugh rising in her chest; wouldn't the Principal be happy, his number one delinquent was toeing the line. All it had taken was rapist managing to grab Ranma's pigtail during a fight. Gosunkugi wasn't a martial artist and from the last report he hadn't left his house since the last time Ranma had spoken with him but his habit of stalking Akane wouldn't be looked upon as a joke anymore. Tsubasa hadn't been around lately but since the last thing Nerima needed was another stalker he'd probably show up. Pantyhose Taro was utterly uncontrollable, he operated on his own agenda and everyone else be damned. He was powerful enough to shake Ranma's confidence and he never passed up a chance to activate Ranma's curse. Then there was the constant parade of freaks that came to Nerima and ended up challenging Ranma; not much could be done about them and kidnapping a bride was one of the top ten reasons to visit Nerima. According to Akane's account of the showdown with Mao Mo Lin, Ranma now equated bridal kidnappings with rape. 

Nabiki fought the urge to bang her head against her desk then she heard it. 

Visions of hearts danced in her eyes. Ranma-darling hadn't shown such open concern for her since the night they met. 

For the last week Kodachi had been busy watching over Mr. Green Turtle; he had an upset stomach, she never should have fed him exotic food like that German Shepard, but today she was free to pursue matters of the heart and pursue them she would. Why, if she played her cards right her beloved Ranma might actually volunteer to walk her home. 

Her eyes haunted his dreams and not in the manner he preferred. His Pig-tailed Girl was injured, her normally lively eyes spoke of some terrible hurt done to her and he, Kuno Tatewaki, had failed to defend her. He was failing to even offer her his comfort and support. This state of affairs was intolerable. 

Since that morning the Pig-tailed Girl had vanished from the face of the earth. The only sure method Kuno knew of for contacting her was through Saotome Ranma, but the cur had been absent from classes as well. There really was only one place to go for answers. 

The steady thwack of sneakers against pavement filled her mind. There were days when this was Akane's favorite part of her morning jog; the way it cleared her mind of everything except picking up her foot to take the next step. She didn't have to think about a sex changing fiancé with a number of other girls after him or the way he twisted her emotions into knots. She certainly didn't have to think about the undercurrents swirling around him for the last week; dark, frightening and painful, nothing like her Ranma. She didn't have to think about coincidences like the fact that Ranma changed immediately after a night when it had taken him too long to get home after she'd sent him flying. She could forget all that for twenty minutes while she ran. 

Akane didn't appreciate it when she turned back toward the Dojo and found Kuonji Ukyo leaning against the gate waiting for her. The complications in her life should have the curtsey to wait until she'd finished her jog before jumping her. 

"Why are you here?" Akane demanded. "As if I didn't know." 

"Easy sugar." Ukyo held up her hands in surrender. "I wanted to talk to you, about calling a truce." 

"A… What?" Akane eyed Ranma's so-called "cute fiancée" suspiciously. 

"I saw Ranma-honey yesterday. I've heard the gossip around school and I've talked with Nabiki. Ranma isn't doing so well. Ranchan's my oldest friend and I'm not gonna leave him to deal with things on his own, but if I come over here you and I'll just get into it and make everything worse." 

"So you're giving up on marrying him?" Akane asked incredulously. The idea was too unbelievable for her to even add a token protest about how she didn't want a pervert like Ranma for a fiancé anyway. 

"In your dreams sugar. I said truce, not surrender." Ukyo declared. "Until Ranchan's back to his old self he's our friend, not our fiancé. I'll swear on my honor that I won't do anything to try to cause problems between the two of you. I'll even promise I won't try to get you and Ryoga together… even if I do think he's a much better match for you than my Ranchan." 

"In exchange for what?" Akane asked. If nothing else, living with Nabiki had impressed the knowledge that you don't get something for nothing on Akane. 

Ukyo gave Akane a self-depreciating grin. "Well sugar, I'd like to ask for the same considerations from you, but seeing as you'd never admit to wanting Ranchan for yourself I'm gonna ask that if the Panda and your dad come up with some harebrained scheme, you'll derail it and you'll do it without resorting to screaming at Ranma or hitting him." 

"I don't get it." 

"You don't have to sugar, just agree to it." Ukyo replied. "Oh and if you don't mind, keep it quiet until I can get Shampoo to agree to the both of us laying off for awhile. She doesn't need to know I'm already doing it, whether or not she agrees." 

"Why are you asking me for something I do anyway?" Akane demanded. 

"I'm not, I'm asking you to deal with those two idiots instead of shoving it off on Ranchan like you normally do." 

"But…" 

"Look Akane, nothing you'd do to win Ranma worries either Shampoo or I, what worries us is the fact that you haven't driven him away yet. You want my personal theory? That bastard Genma raised Ranma-honey; he's probably got no idea what a loving relationship is supposed to be like. He sticks with you, because you're the closest to what he's use to." 

"And who are you to imply such things about my husband?" 

Ukyo spun around to face her challenger. A dozen thoughts simultaneously flashed through her mind: Great timing, Kuonji, hell of a first impression to be making. She's married to Saotome Genma? Looks just like Ranchan's girl-half, always wondered where Ranma-honey got his looks. Wonder if the Panda pulled some sort of a fast one on her. She not only married the panda, she's defending him!?! 

None of that made it past Ukyo's frozen vocal cords. Akane, however, knew just what to say. "Auntie Nodoka!" She also made sure to say it loudly enough to rouse the whole neighbor hood.


	5. Looming Thunderheads

**Looming Thunderheads** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

Thanks for the feedback: Wonderbee31, Jerry Unipeg, Hououza, glazedlookineyes101, Jackalson, Shinigami, dogbertcarroll, Tai Khan, ikari shinji

"Auntie Nodoka!" 

Genma's survival instincts sent him diving for the koi pond with a speed that exceeded thought. 

Genma grumbled unintelligibly about timing as the panda checked on the slight girl in his arms. Ranma had finally started calming down. He had still been clinging to his father like a small child, but he'd stopped sobbing and Genma had been hoping for an explanation, now this happened. Still, it wasn't like he'd be able to do anything to help. Nodoka would be too busy sharpening her sword to help with Ranma, but Ranko was a different story. Nodoka's peculiarities shouldn't prevent her from comforting a girl-child. 

Genma growled interrogatively at the redhead in his arms. He wished he had a paw free to write on one of his signs. 

"Not Mom." Ranma-chan whispered. Her fist twisted in the panda's fur. Genma couldn't help but notice that Ranma's female form was roughly the same size as the boy had been as a twelve-year-old. 

"Auntie Nodoka, Ranko hasn't been acting like her normal self. She won't talk about it. I'm really worried about her." 

"Little Sis, Mrs. Saotome doesn't need to deal with our family troubles." 

"Come on Nabiki, Ranko practically sees Auntie Nodoka as her mom." 

"We don't want to bother her." 

"It's no bother, I want to help. Ranko-chan has always been so lively. I hate the thought of something making her unhappy." 

Genma winced; if the boy pulled any harder he was going to have bald patches in his fur. He'd had fun raising the boy and he wanted to do the right thing but not if it put him on the wrong end of Nodoka's sword. No-chan wouldn't really use her sword on a harmless representative of an endangered species, would she? 

"Ho, ho ho! My darling Ranma, it is I, your Black Rose!" The leotard clad girl leapt on to the roof as she scattered handfuls of rose petals. 

"Rrrowll!!" Genma roared at the girl. Didn't she know this wasn't a good time for annoyances. 

"What are you doing here my twisted sister?" The bokken wielding idiot clambered over the wall after his sister. His eyes widened. "Vile beast, unhand my Pig-tail Girl!" 

Genma glanced around the yard. His child was shaking. The fool couldn't have taken the boy on his best day. But… he'd never noticed how small the boy's female-form was before and Ranma had lost so much weight since he'd stopped eating. Genma had sparred with his son not thirty minutes earlier. Based on that match he'd bet on Ranma finishing off the kendoist in under fifteen seconds. If Nabiki had let him bet on his son's fights that was, she always claimed he had too much insider information… 

Only whatever was wrong with his boy, the worst of the hurt wasn't physical and the Kuno boy was somehow tied to that invisible injury. Genma gulped as he remembered that it was Kuno who'd triggered one of Ranma's recent Nekoken episodes. The cat-persona had never liked Genma and the way he was holding his son Ranma was inside all of his defenses. Dropping the boy wasn't really an option, not with the death grip Ranma had on his fur. Vision of being gutted danced in Genma's imagination. 

There had to be a way out of this… Akane! His marvelous, future daughter-in-law, she made a regular practice of giving the idiot flying lessons. Genma leapt toward the house and the sounds of approaching voices. 

"Panda-san! Ranko!" Nodoka brushed past Nabiki and hurried toward her disguised family. Ukyo wandered along behind her with a dazed look on her face. 

"I suppose I should prepare for more company." Kasumi commented as she glanced around the yard. "They always seem to come at the worst time." Soun nodded, it did seem to be shaping up to be one of those days. 

Akane stormed out of the house toward Kuno only to be intercepted by Kodachi. "Wretched girl, you've ensnared my idiot brother, how dare you keep my Ranma-darling from me?" 

"Your Ranma? You're crazy!" 

"Why them?" Nabiki asked the heavens. 

"Pig-tailed Girl I, Kuno Tatewaki, shall save you from that loathsome creature." 

As the would-be samurai rushed forward Nabiki stepped between him and the Saotomes. She grabbed Kuno's sleeve. "That 'loathsome creature' is her beloved pet." She hissed. "Look at her mother, does she seem alarmed?" 

"The Pig-tailed Girl's mother?" Surprise brought Kuno to a complete stop. "Now that you mention it, I do see a resemblance to my elusive love. I must make her acquaintance!" 

"Not now! She's ill; her mother has traveled a great distance to see her. This is not the time for intrusions on the family." 

"A lady like that married to Saotome Genma?" Ukyo exclaimed out of the blue. She pointed at Nodoka with disbelief in her eyes. 

"Ranma-darling's mother?" Kodachi asked as she hoped off the roof to introduce herself. 

"Me thought you said she was the Pig-tailed Girl's mother." Kuno said. 

Both Kunos turned to Nabiki. She pulled them into a huddle and hid a grin as inspiration struck. "Ranma and the Pig-Tailed Girl, Ranko, are twins." She told them. 

"I do believe you said they were of one mind and one body. Saotome is more perverse than even I suspected." 

"Get your mind out of the gutter Kuno-baby. Haven't you ever heard of a twin link? Your Pig-tailed Girl feels each and every blow you land against Ranma; vise versa for you Kodachi. You can't hurt one without doing equal harm to the other. Honor precluded them from telling you this, knowing of your respective rivalries how could either of them burden you with the knowledge that you were as good as attacking your true love? There would be no honor in a rivalry where you bore such a severe handicap. Alas the days when such niceties could be afforded are past. The Saotome twins, Ranma and Ranko, have suffered a grievous wound to the spirit. They tether on the edge, a small push to either may very well said both tumbling into the abyss. So you two need to cut the crap right now." 

"I shall have to consider this." Kuno announced then sat cross-legged in the garden and assumed a meditative expression. 

"Not here you moron!" Nabiki exclaimed and was ignored. 

"If I marry my darling-Ranma that red-haired harridan will become my sister-in-law?" Kodachi pondered. 

"Yes!" Nabiki quickly replied. She felt a glimmer of hope. 

"I had already resigned myself to the thought of my idiot brother successfully wooing her… Ranma-darling, where are you?" 

Nabiki turned to the wall and banged her forehead against it. 

"Ranko-chan?" Nodoka reached up to stroke the girl's cropped hair. Ranma cringed away from her. Nodoka's hand dropped to her side, her eyes filled with hurt and worry. 

Genma was bombarded with flashbacks to Ranma's infancy. 

_Tears streamed down No-chan's cheeks, a knife gleamed in her hand. "I've tried everything. He won't stop crying, boys aren't supposed to cry." _

The composed, beautiful, traditional, young wife he'd married had disappeared. She left behind a frazzled, overwhelmed teenager who had moved far from her family and was operating under too much stress and too little sleep. 

"I'm raising him wrong. I have to reclaim honor. Daddy said it was on my head if I'd made a mistake. I was going to show them my perfect little boy then they'd understand I was right but he cries all the time and… and…" 

Genma edged away from the knife. At the last moment he reached out and snatched his infant son as well. "No-chan, why don't you go talk to Himiko, she always makes you feel better doesn't she?" 

Nodoka wiped at her tear-filled eyes and nodded. 

"I… I'll take Ranma on a little training trip for a few days. You can't just expect him to be born knowing how to behave. Boys have to learn these things from their fathers." Genma offered a tentative smile as the knife was lowered. He couldn't wait to get out of the house. 

"Panda-san, may I see Ranko?" Nodoka asked. She shifted the cloth-covered bundle containing her katana into the crook of her arm. 

Genma shook his head as he sided away from her. The passage of time seemed to have stabilized Nodoka in many respects, but the years of isolation hadn't done much to erode her unique definitions of honor. She still had that damn note and Genma was fairly certain she was still waiting for her perfect son to bring back to her parents and school friends. 

It occurred to Genma that they all put so much on Ranma's shoulders. Genma's life unless Ranma redeemed his promise to his wife, the future of Soun's dojo, Nodoka's redemption for her one rebellion against tradition and her parents, ten wasted years of Ukyo Kuonji's life and the key to regaining face in front of her family, 3000 years of Chinese Amazon tradition in the form of a withered old crone and her beautiful lavender-haired great granddaughter. Ranma was the pivotal point in the Kuno siblings' warped perception of reality, defeating him was Mousse's last hope for winning Shampoo's heart. His presence in the house was a source of cash for Nabiki, his and Ryoga's rivalry gave the lost boy's otherwise directionless life purpose and Akane's heart had been placed on the line as well… Perhaps the boy simply cracked under the pressure. 

Of course Ranma was amazingly resilient and adaptable. Maybe if they just gave him a little time, presented the current difficulties as a challenge… Genma glanced down at the child he was holding. Ranma's eyes were clenched shut, there was a steady trickle of blood from where he'd bitten through his lip and the boy was shaking his head in a hopeless denial of the whole world. 

Genma grimaced and waited for the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew to arrive, as Soun had said; it was looking like one of those days. 

Cologne pogoed briskly toward the Tendo Dojo, her great granddaughter and the girl's would-be suitor trailed after her as they provided updates. Both children had their biases but between them Cologne generally got a pretty good idea of what had actually occurred. 

"Saotome tried to kill us! Both of us." 

"Was rescuing Shampoo." 

"He tore Mao Mo Lin apart then turned on us." 

"Airen defended Shampoo's honor, fought cat for her. Yes was more aggressive, but was for Shampoo." 

"He was berserk, he would have killed us all." 

"Mousse no know that. Kitchen Destroyer throw water on us and chase us away." 

"Thank the Kami for that. You turn into a cat, do you really want to know what Saotome would do to you while in the grip of the Nekoken?" Mousse demanded. 

"Panda-san, I know you meant well bringing Ranko out here, but she's feeling sick so why don't you take her back to her room okay?" Nabiki suggested in a steely voice as she took control of the situation. "I'm sure Kasumi's preparing tea. Why doesn't everyone else sit down… or go home." 

Nabiki grabbed the Panda's elbow and authoritatively led him upstairs. Once they were in the guest room the Saotomes shared she said. "It'd probably help to turn him back to his boy-form but trust me the last thing we need is to have Auntie Nodoka deciding to put Ranma on trial over that stupid contract right now." 

"There's never a good time for that." Genma commented via a panda-sign. As long as his son became the buxom redhead he was carrying Genma was sure Nodoka's judgment was a forgone conclusion and he wasn't ready to die yet. 

"Don't worry about it Uncle Genma, I'm doing damage control." Nabiki said. "I'll bill you later. I mean really it was your fault after all. Ranma was too young to remember his mother; he certainly wasn't old enough to understand what he was putting his handprint on. And you have as much to loose as Ranma, don't you? Both of you agreed to commit seppuku didn't you?" Genma grumbled noncommittally. Nabiki gave him a forced version of her typical conniving smile then she headed downstairs. 

After a time Ranma fell into an uneasy sleep, her grip on Genma's fur relaxed. Genma gave the futon a sharp kick to unroll it then left his son turned daughter sleeping while he slipped downstairs to see just how Nabiki was handling the unneeded complication that was his wife. 

Somehow Kodachi and Ukyo had positioned themselves on either side of Nodoka and they were vying for her attention. 

"Saotome-sama, or mother if you'd permit it. Although my darling Ranma and I have yet to formalize our love I feel as if we were already related." 

Nodoka shot a questioning look at the girl she knew to be her son's fiancée. Akane rolled her eyes and made the international sign for insanity. 

"Why we'll be related twice over if my big brother Tatewaki is successful in his courtship of your daughter." Kodachi laughed and it came out a girlish giggle of embarrassment rather than her normal disturbing cackle. "Your daughter and I got off on the wrong foot. Youthful competitive spirits you know, but I'm sure we'll be the best of friends now that I know she's Ranma's sister." 

Genma held up a sign. "Pay the girl no mind, she's delusional." After a moment's thought he flipped the sign over to add. "It runs in the family." Hopefully that would head off any trouble stemming from the other Kuno. 

"Do you know what happened to Ranko-chan?" 

"Why don't we all calm down and have some of Kasumi's tea before we talk." Nabiki said in a play for more time to think. 

"Mrs. Saotome, I spoke out of turn earlier and I'm sorry. I don't want you to think poorly of me. Ranchan's one of my best friends, but there's bad blood between myself and your husband." Ukyo swallowed nervously. Genma considered several wild plans to shut the girl up. "I'm sure **you** wouldn't approve of any sort of dishonorable dealings. I know it's a shock but your husband stole something that belonged to me. You probably don't believe me, I wouldn't want to believe me either, but ask Ranma he'll back me up." 

"We had a deal!" Akane hissed. 

"I didn't say anything about being Ranchan's you-know-what." Ukyo whispered. "Nabiki is trying to stall, I'm just helping. Besides, I don't want Mrs. Saotome thinking I'm a bitch." 

Nodoka drew her sword. Everyone scrambled out of the way as the blade flew across the room. "Excuse me, but if I have your attention…" Kasumi quietly retrieved the Saotome honor blade. "Thank you dear." Nodoka paused to re-sheath her sword. 

"You're welcome Auntie." Kasumi replied. 

Nodoka returned her attention to the people gathered around the Tendo's table. "Will someone tell me what's happened to Ranko-chan?" 

There was a long silence. 

"Actually, we've been wondering about that ourselves." Soun said with a glance that included Genma in his statement. 

Ukyo and Nabiki exchanged a glance. Ukyo looked down, leaving it up to Nabiki to explain. Genma sighed with relief; the last thing he wanted was Kuonji Ukyo explaining anything to Nodoka, especially while the okonomiyaki chef remained in the dark about the seppuku pledge. 

"He… One night Ranko just came home acting all weird." Akane said tearfully. "She hasn't been the same since." 

"Hasn't anyone spoken to her?" Nodoka asked. "Doesn't anyone know anything?" 

"Auntie Nodoka, trust me. If I thought it would help I'd tell you…" 

Nabiki was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek. 

"If we all run up stairs we'll only scare her." Nabiki said quickly. "Panda-san, Ranko seems to trust you, Kami-sama knows why." 

Ryoga trudged toward the sunset and hoped Nerima lay in that direction as well. The weight of his pack wore on him like never before. He didn't understand how under a pound of gunmetal could be so burdensome. 

He glanced around. The street seemed familiar. "Not Okinawa again." He groaned. 

A painfully cute girl with a pair of ice skates slung over one shoulder bounced out of a boutique. "Oh Simone, you are so cute!" 

"Get back here you little klepto!" An enraged shopkeeper shouted. 

Ryoga ducked behind a mailbox. "I swear she's stalking me and I don't have time to be her pet." He muttered. Once the danger was past Ryoga set out again. Four blocks later an inhuman shriek that chilled him to the bone split the air. 

"What a haul! What a haul!" Happosai exclaimed mostly to himself. It had been a good trip, he reflected, but it was good to be home. Those models had been wonderful to look at, to handle… sigh, and he'd liberated some of the tiniest, most intricate silky darlings ever. Still not one of those international super-models had half the spunk of a Nerima School Girl. He was flying high, full of energy and ready for some fun… It was good to be home! 

As he slipped into the Tendo house to stash his haul he noted the slight red head laying on her futon in the guest room. 

"Lazing around at this hour my little Ranma-chan? We'll just have to see about that." Happosai made a quick stop in the room he'd claimed for himself. He vaguely noted that the rest of the family plus a few fiancées seemed to be engaged in some sort of meeting downstairs while Kuno mediated in the garden. 

Whatever it was it obviously wasn't important enough to delay the fun and games Happosai had planned for his homecoming. "Sweeto!!" He exclaimed and threw himself on his favorite target. The old freak clung on tightly, his face buried between heaving breasts as his student-come-victim scuttled backward. 

Alarm bells went off in Happosai's mind when he heard a distressed moan rather than a litany of insults, but the roiling mass of fear choked ki that he'd thrown himself into shocked him into immobility. The moan changed pitch and became a wordless shriek. Rather than the anticipated fist knocking him from his favorite perch Happosai felt claws digging deep into his back and teeth clamping on his shoulder, biting down to the bone. 

Happosai stiffened as his blood sprayed the room. Ranma-chan twisted; somehow she planted her feet against her attacker's chest and sent him through the roof with a tremendous kick. 

Several blocks from the Tendo Dojo a maroon projectile smashed into the sidewalk in front of the trio of Amazons. 

"Arrgh! A demon!" Mousse exclaimed. 

Cologne used her staff to poke at the crumpled form. "What do you know, Mr. Part-Time, for once you got it right." 

Shampoo crouched to get a better look. "Ayiah! Is old freak, looks like he lost big time." 

"Is he dead?" Mousse asked. 

"Happi's a tough old goat." Cologne declared. "He'll survive."


	6. Typhoon

**Typhoon** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. Thanks for the Feedback: obsidian-fox, glazedlookineyes101, Jerry Unipeg, Hououza, ranger5, Shinigami, Pilgrim, loukhos 

Cologne used her staff like a pogo stick and leapt to the roofs. The two teenage Amazons hurried after her. Moments later the trio from the Nekohauten were entering the Tendo home through the hole Happosai had made on his way out. 

"Both of you hold back." Cologne ordered. "I have to evaluate the situation and Ranma may well be very dangerous right now. Shampoo no glomps. Mousse no attacks." 

Ranma crouched in the shadowy room, there was a look of disgust on her face as she licked at her blood stained clothes. 

Cologne hopped off her staff and approached the redhead with a studied air of harmlessness. "Hello Son-in-law." 

The Nekoken had a distinctive signature that overlaid Ranma's aura when he gave into the madness. His Jusenkyo curse left it's own mark on Ranma's life energy regardless of which form he was in. Together they made it challenging to do an in depth reading on Ranma's aura but Cologne would have to be blind to miss the confused mass of darkness eclipsing Ranma's normal emotional spectrum. 

Ranma looked up from her task, she eyed Cologne warily. 

"I just want to talk son-in-law." The Amazon Elder said reassuringly. Cologne hoped the trauma wasn't as bad as it looked. It was possible, physically Ranma was one of the toughest, most talented fighters she'd encountered in three hundred years of life; emotionally he was a child. He didn't know how to cope with an attack that struck at his spirit rather than his body. 

Ranma dealt with emotional issues in the only way he knew how: When confronted with a fight he couldn't win Genma had taught his son to buy time, to retreat until he had a plan. Cologne doubted Ranma did it consciously, but that was how the boy dealt with emotions. He stalled; he pushed people away; he waited for a solution to present itself. In a way the Nekoken was the ultimate expression of the Saotome Secret Technique, even if Ranma's body couldn't escape his mind could. Ranma didn't have many options available to him when a competition didn't involve fists; maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Ranma's talent for not dealing with things he didn't know how to deal with had to reach its limit someday, and she'd always expected he'd break when it happened. It could simply be that the accumulated stresses had gotten to him. 

In general Cologne felt Ranma's naivety was an advantage. It was unlikely that the boy would choose Shampoo freely, so they'd have to manipulate him. Normally the last thing she'd want to do would be to teach Ranma to be more socially savvy, but it was infinitely more appealing than killing him. If they could find out what was bothering Ranma maybe he could be taught to deal with it without resorting to using the Nekoken as an escape… 

Despite Cologne's best efforts Ranma was feeling threatened by her presence. The redhead backed away until her back bumped against the wall. Then Ranma let out a startled yowl. She spun around and slashed at the unexpected attacker. The wall never stood a chance. 

The giant panda in the hallway cowered back from the cat-minded girl. Ranma's eyes darted between the Amazons and the panda it was clear that to her they were the proverbial rock and a hard place. 

After a moment's indecision Ranma leapt over the balcony railing. 

For once Hibiki Ryoga wasn't wondering how the Tendo Dojo had come to be in Osaka or Kyoto or… He was simply relieved to have found it so quickly. The shriek he could never forget had broken the air only minutes earlier, he still had time to save them; he had to continue believing that. 

Ryoga dashed inside not even pausing to kick off his shoes. In the dining room he found a tableau of people frozen with shock and worry. They stared after Genma's panda-form as the elder Saotome made his way upstairs. 

A brief smile crossed Ryoga's face, Akane was safe, her family was safe; he'd gotten there in time. Ryoga's smile disappeared as he thought of what he had to do. 

"Akane, everyone you're in danger." The lost boy proclaimed seriously. "Ranma's gone insane, he killed people." 

Ryoga found himself on the receiving end of a number of hostile glares but it was Akane's reaction that he cared about. She stared at him with undisguised shock and horror in her deep brown eyes. "No." She whispered. Ryoga knew it was only reflexive denial. 

"I trust you have some proof to back your accusations, young man." The traditionally dressed woman holding a sheathed katana asked sternly. 

"Peasant, how dare you level such slanderous charges against my darling Ranma?" In the blink of an eye Kodachi threw off the school uniform she'd donned for tea with Ranma's mother to reveal the leotard beneath. The Black Rose was always ready to do battle. 

"Ryoga-hon, on our friendship, I'm telling you you don't know anything about what happened." Ukyo stated as she fingered her spatula. 

"Oh my." 

"So the foul sorcerer finally reveals his true nature… but lo what of my Pig-tailed Girl?" 

"I saw him!" Ryoga exclaimed. "At the park, he was covered with blood." 

"Why is it that none of you care about getting the facts before jumping to conclusions?" Nabiki asked as she impaled the lost boy with a sharp glance. 

"I was there! I saw…" Ryoga broke off as the redhead in question dove over the open balcony on the second floor of the Tendo house. At the last moment Ranma twisted in mid-air to escape landing in Kuno's arms. The redhead rolled as she landed and ended up crouched defensively in the center of the room. 

The panda bounded down the stairs. Cologne and Shampoo took the direct route; they lit on either side of the surprised kendoist. Mousse waited on the balcony above as he readied himself for battle. 

Ranma's hackles rose. She hissed at the crowd of people surrounding her in an attempt to ward them off. 

Ryoga recognized the danger inherent in a confrontation with a cornered animal and put himself squarely between Ranma and Akane. 

"Pig-tail Girl!" 

" Sister, dearest." 

"Is that blood?" 

"Oh my!" 

"Ranchan!" 

"Ranko-chan?" 

"Don't pressure him." 

"Is bad!" 

"Don't worry Shampoo, I'll protect you." 

The voices rose in a senseless babble. Ryoga watched, Ranma's eyes darted around wildly, the terror in them was palpable but the blood on the redhead's clothes belonged to someone else. The lost boy reached into a pouch on the side of his pack. The gun was so cold it seemed to burn his hand. 

Ryoga's hands shook as he aimed, he felt sick to his stomach. 

Ranma's eyes fell on Akane, a desperate hope lit up her face and the lithe cat-minded teen sprung. 

Ryoga's resolve solidified, his hands steadied. "I'm so sorry Ranma." He whispered as he squeezed the trigger. 

The explosion from the gun was deafening in the crowded room. To Nabiki it sounded like the status quo shattering beyond all hope of repair. In her heart she knew that the point of no return had come and gone a week ago, but she'd still hoped… It was Ranma after all. 

Nabiki had thought if she could just get the pressure off him for a week or two his incredible resilience would kick in and they could all forget about everything that had happened. 

Seeing Ranma hurt, seeing him changed, tore at Nabiki's peace of mind. She wished it was just sympathy but she knew that there was guilt mixed in. She'd always treated Ranma as if he were bulletproof, and why not? Two weeks before she met him what should have been the foundation of his identity was made more changeable than the weather, he spent the intervening time being hunted across China by a girl who's people demanded she follow him to the ends of the earth to kill him then he arrived in Japan to find himself engaged to a girl he barely knew, who violently opposed the match. All that happened in just two weeks and Ranma took it in stride. How could any of Nabiki's schemes even being to affect him when he could shrug off something like his curse only two weeks after it happened? 

Except Ranma had been hurt. He always seemed like he could bounce back from anything only he wasn't recovering. Deep down Nabiki knew he'd been hurt before, by her, by Akane, by all of them, it just hadn't mattered; Ranma got over things so quickly his pain didn't seem real, it hadn't seemed to count. Still they had hurt him, repeatedly and maybe if he hadn't had to cope with all those little stings he'd have more reserves to draw on when catastrophe struck. 

Someone who didn't play by their rules had snuck into their world and pored acid on the lynch pin. Now the stresses that used to keep everything in balance were tearing Ranma apart. He was the center of everything; everyone wanted to defeat him or marry him or both in the Kunos cases; Akane wanted both too and it was more confusing for her because she knew it was the same person whom she needed to prove herself against and whom she wanted to protect her. If the center couldn't hold… It was all going to change. The gunshot was the last nail being driven into the coffin. The sound was so final Nabiki fully expected Ranma to be dead when she opened her eyes. 

The Saotome School of Anything Goes specialized in aerial combat and Ranma reflexes had been drilled that school's exercises since he could walk, the Nekoken sharpened those reflexes to an inhuman degree. Ranma-chan arched away from the bullet's path. She yowled in pain and fury. Mousse echoed her shriek a moment later. 

Ranma landed on Ryoga and violently kicked free of him. In the process she knocked Ryoga into Akane. Mousse fell to his knees his arms were wrapped around his stomach. Ranma-chan crouched in the corner, one arm curled against her body. Akane sat on the floor and stared at nothing as Ryoga's blood pooled in her lap. 

Cologne felt ill. Three of the children seriously injured in as many seconds. The top of Ryoga's hipbone showed through the gash in his side like an island of white in a river of blood. Cologne knew his survival was doubtful. Mousse was doubled over as he clutched his stomach. Red stains spread from behind his arms. His eyes had the glazed look of a person going into shock. A steady stream of blood trickled down Ranma-chan's arm to puddle beneath her. Still the redhead was snarling ferally at the whole world. 

The tall boy beside Cologne took a step forward. "Pig-tail Girl, let me…" 

Cologne swung her staff; she landed a solid blow at the base of the boy's skull. He crumpled to the ground, his sentence unfinished. "Kami-sama, deliver me from fools." Cologne muttered. 

The panda had gotten Mousse to lie down and was applying pressure to his wound. The Tendo Patriarch was using his gi top as a rough bandage for the lost boy's gaping injuries. Cologne felt a measure of surprise; perhaps the idiot fathers weren't as completely worthless as she'd believed. 

The middle Tendo girl had made her way to the telephone. "… mauled by a wild animal…" 

Kodachi's eyes darted around the room wildly. Her ribbon was clutched in a white knuckled fist. 

"Ranma? Where? Ranko?" Nodoka's voice quavered uncertainly. She clung to her sword as if it were a lifeline. 

"Ranchan-honey?" Ukyo was shaking with fear as she crawled toward Ranma. "It's Ucchan, you wouldn't hurt me would you? You just relax and come with me and I'll fix you up with the biggest Okonomiyaki you've ever seen." 

"Don't pressure him." Cologne ordered her gaze included all three women. 

Kodachi spun toward the unexpected voice and lashed out with her ribbon. Cologne caught it. "I said settle down!" 

Kasumi calmly walked up behind Kodachi and tapped a point in the center of her back. Kodachi slumped; she was asleep on her feet. Kasumi gently eased the girl into a chair. Cologne nodded approvingly to the girl. 

Ranma limped backwards on three limbs as Ukyo and Nodoka approached her. 

Soun glanced up a moment before Ranma would have stumbled over Ryoga and Akane. The older man summoned a weak demon-head. "Shoo!" He ordered. 

Ranma squawked at the unexpected, large threatening thing then leapt over Nodoka and Ukyo and dashed into the garden. She was over the outer wall before any one could blink. 

Outside they heard alarms approaching. Cologne turned her stern gaze on Akane. "On your feet girl. We don't have time to offer explanations and you're our best shot at controlling Ranma when he's like that." 

Akane stood up mechanically. "I have to change." She said, her voice flat as she gestured to her blood soaked skirt. 

Cologne nodded and gestured toward the stairs. Taking Akane out like that would be inviting police questions and the Amazon Elder wasn't sure how Ranma would react to the smell of Ryoga's blood on Akane. 

"I'm coming with you." Ukyo said firmly. 

"Shampoo come." The lavender haired Amazon stated. 

Cologne hesitated. 

"Ranma's out there, scared out of his mind, hurt, bleeding… I **have** to find him." Ukyo said. "I'll go on my own if I have to." 

"Let him come to you if he will. Don't try to force him." Cologne stated. "Don't crowd Akane, we know he'll go to her. Make sure you don't startle him away and if you value your lives don't get between them." 

Akane stripped off her blood soaked clothing… Dirty, it was just dirty. 

_She had to get changed quickly because she was late for school. She could hear the alarm bell coming closer and if she didn't hurry she'd be late. Ranma had gone on ahead and she had to hurry if she wanted to catch up with him. _

Uncle Saotome's growl sounded frustrated, Daddy must be cheating more effectively than normal but why were they playing in the upstairs hall instead of on the veranda? 

As Akane hurried downstairs the panda shifted around to let Nodoka; with her more delicate, human hands; take over tying bandages around Mousse's abdomen. 

Kasumi ran out of the kitchen with an armful of towels. Nabiki hovered anxiously while their father tried to staunch the blood flow from the gaping wound on Ryoga's side and hip. 

_He'd done it on purpose, she'd been cooking all afternoon and Ranma deliberately bumped into her and spilled it all over the dining room when she tried to bring it to the table. Akane winced as she noticed the color, she was sure miso soup wasn't supposed to turn out red. She shouldn't have gotten so mad at Ranma; now that she was looking at it she knew there was something wrong with it. Still, he couldn't have known that, Ranma never even gave her a chance. He couldn't even pretend to be sorry about spilling it. _

It hurt that he was better at everything than she was, even girl stuff like cooking, he didn't have to rub it in. It scared her; Akane was sure that one day Ranma would choose one of the other girls. They both cooked a lot better than she did, they were better martial artists and Ranma didn't call them names. When he did, the only thing she'd have left was her pride. That was why it was so important that she' never let him know that he could hurt her, that she wanted him to choose her. He didn't even bother to wait for her to change before leaving for school and it was all his fault that she was a mess. 

Akane sighed; she **had** booted him out of the house after he crashed into her and sent all her hard cooked food across the floor. He could have avoided her if he tried, he could have stopped her from hitting him, Akane knew how good Ranma was. He could have just apologized for being a jerk but it was easier for him to expunge his guilt by letting her hit him. That was why it would have meant so much more if he'd just say he was sorry for making her unhappy. 

"Get a move on it girl, we don't have all night." Cologne snapped. 

Akane slipped into her shoes, snatched up a jacket and her school bag then followed Cologne, Shampoo and Ukyo outside. The two Amazons took the lead. They easily followed the trail of blood Ranma had left behind. Still, even with his injury, Ranma was moving fast and they weren't catching up with him. 

Ukyo hustled Akane after the Amazons. "This isn't the way to school." Akane commented with a confused frown. 

_P-Chan and - a cat had gotten into a fight. They'd both been injured and she was looking for P-Chan. No, P-Chan was back at home, Daddy was looking after him. She was out looking for the cat because even if it wasn't hurt as bad as P-Chan it was out in the cold, alone. He needed help and she was the only one he trusted. _

She didn't like it when Daddy wouldn't stand up to Grandpa Happosai and made the cat sleep outside in the cold, but she hadn't even given him a chance to get his shoes or coat, let alone his tent. It was getting later and colder. He still wasn't back and she was starting to worry, but going after him would be like admitting she was wrong and he'd been such a jerk. 

Only she was looking for the cat, because he had been injured… In the fight with P-Chan. Even if the cat made her so mad sometimes she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. 

"Don't go in after him. Call him to you." Cologne's staff blocked Akane from entering the drainage pipe in the side of the canal. They'd lost Ranma's trail during a brief downpour, it had taken them nearly an hour to pick it up again. It took them here. The pipe was about two feet in diameter, an inch or two of icy water ran through it and there was a red smear just inside it's mouth. 

Akane knelt in the freezing water. "Here kitty, kitty… Ranma? Ranma, I'm sorry." 

_It wasn't blood, it was a red braid, hacked off and left in the trash and she knew; something bad had happened to Ranma. If she'd just gone out and looked for him last night. It was her fault but where was he? What if he needed help? She couldn't fall apart now. She'd think about it later, once everything was back to normal._

"Ranma! Please Ranma, I'm sorry." 

"He's been bleeding for a long time. What if he passed out?" Ukyo said. "We have to go in after him." 

"What if he hasn't?" Cologne replied. "He'll kill you. He's injured and cornered. His thoughts aren't human. There will be no dodging in there. If he's startled Ranma will rip you to shreds. Inside of that pipe facing the Nekoken would be suicide." 

Akane crawled forward and peered into the drain. The water washing over her hands raised goose-bumps on her skin, she started shivering. "Ranma?" 

"Grandmother, Airen could die." Shampoo protested. "Is cold, wet, loosing much blood, will go into shock soon." 

Cologne looked away from the girls. Ryoga's death was likely. She hadn't gotten a chance to evaluate Mousse's wounds. Happi would be licking his wounds for years to come. And if this night had irrevocably pushed Ranma over the edge, she'd have to kill him. Cologne couldn't risk the death of another child, not for what was most likely a lost cause and if Ranma were lost she couldn't risk facing him when she'd be at such a severe disadvantage. She didn't know how to tell the girls that she was thinking about cutting their losses. 

While the others were distracted Akane crawled into the pipe. The water chilled her to the bone; it left her feeling brittle and fragile. Her eyes were useless in the pitch-black tunnel. Akane squeaked when she set her hand on a clammy, unmoving ankle. 

"Ranma?" Akane asked. Her voice echoed back at her mockingly. Akane crawled over the smaller girl's body and pressed her ear against her fiancé's back. After a long moment a sound that was half sob, half hysterical giggle escaped her. "Hold on, I'll get you help." 

Awkwardly Akane maneuvered the unresponsive body onto her shoulders and started backing out of the pipe. 

Notes: Shinigami, it orginally planned as two stories, the first being five parts, but plans change. In the rough draft this chapter was a lot shorter and would be have been in chapter five with the recovery being separate. In the current draft it's one story, with nine chapters.


	7. After the Storm

**After the Storm** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

Thanks for the feedback: Lady Poet, glazedlookineyes101, Wonderbee31, obsidian-fox, Jerry Unipeg, vizeerlord, Tai Khan 

Notes: Leftovers are evil, especially old ones, but laying still all day trying not to feel nauseous does give one time to get some editing done. 

2nd chapter: Ryoga doesn't share a language with the person he bought the gun from. 

3rd chapter: Ranma allows Ukyo to hold him while in the Nekoken. However, in the last two chapters there were too many people around, most of them yelling, even if a lot of them were yelling **at** Ryoga and Akane was the one he's most accustom to. As soon as he tries to go to her, Ryoga shoots him. After that he's wary of everyone. Cologne is being cautious, Akane is the only one she's seen him turn to while in the Nekoken, she brings the other girls, but warns them not to interfere if he chooses Akane. She didn't want Akane going into a closed space after Ranma anymore than she wanted the other two to go, but instead of arguing about it, Akane just did what she though nessicary while Cologne was arguing with Ukyo and Shampoo.

"Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane! Ranma is coming home." 

Almost three years ago a similar announcement from the Tendo patriarch had been greeted with skepticism, irritation and wariness. Now the three girls hurried to the dining room, their expressions filled with excitement and anticipation. 

"When will he be here?" Kasumi asked. In her head she was making a list of things she needed to pick up for a welcome back dinner. 

"It's about time!" Akane exclaimed. "What finally convinced those idiots it was safe to let him go?" 

"I don't know." Soun replied. 

"Daddy, don't you ever ask anything?" Nabiki sighed. "Have you told the others yet?" 

**Sixteen Months Earlier**

Nabiki hated hospitals; they made her feel powerless. All they could do was sit and wait. The doctors had told them Mousse was stable, but they step-sided the issue when questioned about Ryoga. 

"I don't care if he does die." Nabiki thought. "I had things under control until he showed up with that damn gun. I'd figured out a way to handle the **Kunos**. Uncle Genma actually does care about Ranma, as long as it doesn't cost him anything. Ukyo was trying to help manage the fiancée situation… Okay, so I forgot about Happosai, and there's no way in hell I'm going to tell Nodoka her son got raped until she's torn up that stupid contract. I could have convinced her that it was none of her business. Once she was out of the picture we could have started making a real plan, if Ryoga and Happosai hadn't forced things. Now…" 

Twenty minutes ago Cologne and the Fiancée Brigade had arrived, their mission was completed but not to anyone's satisfaction. They brought Ranma back; he was translucently pale from blood loss and her lips were blue from the cold. Cologne said the only reason Ranma hadn't bled out was that hypothermia had slowed his heartbeat. 

Akane had been sedated. Ukyo was swearing vengeance on pretty much everyone. Shampoo was chewing on her nails and pacing. 

Soun sat beside Genma. He patted the panda on the shoulder reassuringly. 

Nodoka got up and walked toward the doors, she stood on her toes and tried to peer through the window. She didn't understand it, but she was certain everything would fall into place if she could see Ranko again. Everything was happening so fast. As soon as she walked through the door at the Tendo's everything had gone insane. Ranko-chan had been distraught. The fights, the promised explanations that never materialized, the deafening blast of a gun, blood everywhere, Ranko's strange behavior. And the way everyone kept yelling Ranma's name. She had to see Ranko again then things would make sense. Ranko had to come back through those doors; nothing would ever be okay again if she didn't. 

Cologne stood by herself. She leaned on her staff as if she were feeling her overwhelming age. 

Kodachi and Tatewaki walked into the Emergency Room waiting area. They were subdued. The siblings silently took a seat and joined everyone as they waited. Helplessly. Nabiki was sick of waiting, sick of feeling helpless and sick of hospitals. She was in control. She was going to do something, fix something. She walked up behind Nodoka and waited for the older woman to notice her presence. 

"Why don't you tell them to stop trying." Nabiki said in a dry, flat voice. Nodoka stared down at the girl in shock. "What? You haven't figured it out? Your pretty little Ranko is actually Ranma, your son. I know you're hellishly fond of honor and ceremonies but it really would be kinder to let him die like this rather than having them save him just so you can tell him he's not good enough." 

Nabiki paused for a beat. She waited until she saw comprehension in Nodoka's face. "So what's it going to be? Tear up that stupid piece of paper or tell the doctors Ranma doesn't have a life to save. Unless you really are heartless; I mean I've got the reputation but I could never ask a member of my family to kill themselves. Maybe you **want** to see his eyes when you tell him to gut himself. 

The sound of a sheet of paper ripping in half was loud in the tense silence between the two women. Nabiki plucked the pieces of paper out of Nodoka's hands. "Alright, we'll just consider that thing null and void." 

Ukyo stalked across the waiting room to confront Genma. "It's all your fault you know." She hissed. "If you hadn't driven Ranchan crazy with that awful cat-fist Ryoga wouldn't have shot him." 

"Young lady, this is hardly the time." Soun reprimanded her. 

"Why not? If Ranchan dies I'm gonna kill him." Ukyo stated. "It's his fault, everything's his fault. He made Ranma crazy, he brought him here, he engaged him to everyone under the sun and set us all at each other's throats. If he'd just done what he was supposed to, Ranchan and I would be happily married and none of this would have happened. Why not gets my honor back by killing that bastard… and if my Ranchan doesn't make it I'm pretty sure I'll be able to go through with it this time!" 

Ukyo stole a glance at Akane. After some of the things the other girl had mumbled during her walking nightmare. Ukyo was thinking about killing her as well, but unlike Ryoga she would get the whole story first. 

Soun squeezed his friend's furry shoulder. "I'm certain Ranma will be fine, he's always healed so quickly." 

The panda huffed miserably. 

"Can't even be a person when Ranma needs you." Ukyo said. "I guess we're lucky Ranma's mom showed up because the doctors sure as hell won't talk to some stupid panda." 

Almost timidly Shampoo tugged on Soun's sleeve. He turned and watched the Amazon girl fidget. 

"Is not like Shampoo cares but stupid Mousse is childhood friend and um… he going to be okay, yes?" 

Soun relaxed marginally. "Oh yes, he should recover. The bullet didn't hit anything critical." 

"Is good to hear." Shampoo replied. 

"And the lost boy?" Cologne asked as she joined them. 

Soun glanced away. "The doctors won't say. We left a message at his home and placed an ad in the papers for his parents. I can't believe he shot Ranma. What did he mean, he saw Ranma kill someone?" 

"Ranma was justified." Ukyo said. "They raped him, that's why he's going cat so often. That's why he killed them." 

"How is that possible?" Soun asked. Genma looked sick. 

Ukyo shot a quick glare at Akane. "I don't know, but I intend to find out." 

Cologne swore, vehemently in Chinese, Shampoo's eyes widened at her Grandmother's language. 

"Yeah, what she said." Ukyo commented. "Whatever Ryoga saw, those bastards had it coming and if Ranchan's not okay I'll do the same to anyone even vaguely connected to what happened." 

"Should not say such things." Shampoo scowled at her rival. "Is bad luck. Better to plan for how to help Airen when he feeling better." 

"You could quit calling him that." Ukyo said. "I'm not just Ranchan's fiancée, I'm his best friend. He talks to me. He isn't ready to marry any of us." 

"Is common knowledge." Shampoo interjected. 

"But he likes you, he likes all of us, we're the only friends he's got and he's never going to be ready to choose if he thinks the other two will hate him for it. If we're fighting over him or trying to make him chose it isn't going to help make him less stressed." 

_There were a lot of things the police turned a blind eye to when it came to Nerima, dead bodies and guns weren't on the list. Still they weren't prepared for the fantastic recovery times of the various martial artists involved and everyone was able to get their stories straight first._

Nabiki walked into the critical care ward as if she had every right to be there and no one questioned her. After a few minutes she found Ryoga's bed and sat down beside him. Shampoo had already take care of what Mousse would say. 

"Did I do it?" Ryoga asked weakly. 

"Do what? Kill Ranma? No, you're not that good of a shot. It was just a flesh wound, it took hours before what you did to him was life threatening; Mousse on the other hand, well he was standing behind Ranma, in case you forgot." Nabiki replied acidly. "When the cops ask, you were shooting at a wild animal. You're in enough trouble without adding attempted murder." 

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the same wild animal that killed those guys in the park." Nabiki continued. "Not that you need to feel bad for them, in their case it was karmic justice. They did set it loose after all, when they raped Ranma-chan." 

"What?" Ryoga looked scared and confused. "What happened to Ranma and Mousse?" 

"I just told you what happened Hibiki. Remember, when you're asked you were shooting at a wild animal, or you'll make things worse for everyone, just like you did when you fired that damn gun." Nabiki said. She got up and walked out and left Ryoga with his thoughts. 

For some reason Ranma was certain he should be in a lot of pain, in reality he didn't feel much of anything. For the young martial artists the absence of sensation was worse than the anticipated pain. 

Everything was fuzzy and strange. Ranma thought he heard the murmur of voices and tried to focus on them. 

"You lied to me." 

"No-chan, do you really think this is the right place to talk about this?" 

"Husband, you haven't left this room since they brought him here. One might think you were using our son's injuries to avoid this discussion." 

Mom and Pop talking? Ranma relaxed, the absence of pain suddenly made sense: He was dreaming. 

"You always did over-react and jump to conclusions." 

"After all the months you had my son hiding from me, I don't think it's possible for me to over-react." 

"You didn't hesitate to call him your son despite his form." 

What? He was a girl? That wasn't safe! 

"Nodoka, I wanted you to get to know the boy before you started judging him." 

He needed hot water, now. 

"Saotome Genma, don't you ever tire of listening to your lies?" 

Her body wouldn't move! 

"Ranko was anything but your idea of a proper young lady. You didn't go running for a knife, you tried to change her. When that didn't work, when she didn't adapt to your ideal, you loved her anyway, didn't you?" 

He couldn't protect himself. It could happen again! He had to move. 

"You love him No-chan. You finally stopped worrying about whether or not he was perfect and let yourself love him. Was I wrong to wait?" 

"Genma, tell me honestly. How much of this did you come up with while we've been waiting for Ranma to wake up?" 

He had to get hot water. He needed it. He wouldn't let his body betray him again. Ranma applied his considerable will and forced his protesting body to sit up. 

"Ranma, matei." Genma's sensei-tone was a greater deterrent than the hand on her shoulder. His pop would gleefully take advantage of any distraction when they sparred, the old man felt no shame at taking cheap shots, he would attack Ranma while he was sleeping but he wouldn't formally call for halt unless he was serious. That had been true for as long as Ranma could remember and he automatically obeyed. He let Genma push him back down as he took in his surroundings. 

He was in a hospital, his left arm was immobilized and he was wrapped in a cocoon of electric blankets. There was an IV in his other arm the hand at the end of that arm was small and delicate, definitely his female form. His body felt numb, he'd probably been drugged. Ranma felt the panic rising again. He had to think about something else, anything else. 

His mom was standing beside his dad and his dad wasn't a panda… "You told her?" Ranma asked. "I… I guess we have to do it then. You found out and you decided to tell her." 

"I'm not going to ask you to kill yourself." Nodoka said quietly. 

"Why not?" Ranma asked with morbid curiosity. 

Nodoka glanced away. The fiancées and Nabiki had repeatedly told her to tell Ranma he passed her test, but seeing the look in Ranma's eyes Nodoka didn't think he'd believe her if she did. "Because of the mistakes I made, I don't know you well enough to have any right to order you to do anything or to pass judgment on you." Nodoka told her son. "And if I did know you that well, I would be able to bare loosing you. The seppuku pledge was a fool's promise that a very frightened young girl demanded so that she could tell herself that it was honorable to run away from responsibilities she didn't believe herself capable of handling." 

"How well do you gotta know me? Look at me! I ain't any sort of 'man among men'!" Ranma wondered why he couldn't shut up. His mouth always seemed determined to get him into trouble. He should be rejoicing but all he could think was… "You're just like Pop, you talk about honor but when you don't like what it demands you toss it out the window. You think I'm not good enough but you don't want to deal with what that means." 

"No." Nodoka said firmly. "I don't think your curse has any baring on the pledge. I've compromised my own honor too much to judge yours, that's all." 

"Can I have some hot water?" 

"It might be awkward to explain to the doctors that their patient is now a boy." Genma said. "Besides the police have been searching rather diligently for this form, they won't appreciate it if you disappeared again. The good news is I think they'll believe you if you don't remember anything." 

"I killed Ryoga didn't I?" 

"No. That other boy stabilized several nights ago son." Nodoka reassured him. 

"How did you remember that?" Genma asked, confused. "You went cat before you could have seen Hibiki." 

Ranma grimaced. "I don't know. I've been going cat so much, it's always right under my skin. What did I do to him?" 

"He shot you, you defended yourself." Genma said. "And he's doing better than the doctors initially anticipated." 

_The stories all matched, everything was set. The idea was simple: Get rid of outsider intrusions. It should have worked. _

Only the police thought if they pressed a little, they might dig up some details about the park that Ranma didn't realize she remembered, instead they triggered a flashback. After that the police had a whole lot of questions. In the end everyone agreed Ranma had acted in self-defense, but... 

Mao Mo Lin was a ghost; the police didn't know about that and wouldn't have believed in him if they had. No one knew where Happosai drug himself off to and the Amazons didn't mention seeing him before they confronted Ranma. Kuno and Ryoga both refused to press charges. Ranma and Ryoga felt so guilty about how close they'd come to killing each other that they both swore that the other had only been trying to protect themselves. Once the police finished sorting out Kuno's reasoning, they suggested he be given a psychiatric evaluation. Sasuke arrived a few hours later and pointed out certain facts about the family, it was decided that the Kunos had more than enough money to be considered eccentric rather than insane. 

They weren't so accommodating when it came to Ranma. The police had seen him put three-foot long, six-inch deep scores in a concrete floor; they knew he could dismember a human body in seconds. Everyone was sympathetic about the causes of his distress but it was determined that he was dangerously insane. 

Ryoga pled guilty to a number of charges relating to the gun. He was sentenced to a juvenile detention center and seemed almost grateful that he was being punished. 

It didn't work out very well though… 

Ryoga glared at the faceless wall in his path. He was supposed to be in the classroom right now. He knew it had been at the end of this hall yesterday but some idiot had bricked up the door. He was going to be late again; everyone here got so upset when he couldn't find where he was supposed to be. 

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" 

At a small police station in a rural town on the island of Hokkaido the officers sat and stared as an embarrassed looking boy with cute little fangs explained his problem. 

Ryoga scratched the base of his skull and glanced at the floor. "Could you tell me how to get to the Sarayaski Detention Center? I was trying to get from my cell to the classroom and I… well, I got lost. I told them I needed my pack with me. It was just lucky that my dog found me and led me home so I could grab some supplies. I know they get techy when I miss lights out, but it's not my fault. I've been looking for Tokyo for two weeks straight!" 

The medicine they were giving him made his directional sense worse than ever. He couldn't find the damn door to his cell. He couldn't see the breaking points in the wall to make a new door. He was hungry and pathetic. He'd nearly killed two of the people who came closest to actually being his friends… 

"Shi Shi Hokodan!" 

The officers at the rural police station stared. 

"Heh, it's me again. Sorry 'bout this. They said if I got lost again I should ask a police man to give me a ride back and not ask for directions." 

A small black pig slipped easily through the bars on the door to his cell. The fire sprinklers had gone off again. He knew the water in the sink wasn't hot enough to trigger the change. It wouldn't be a big deal if he just went down to the showers and changed back then waited for someone to unlock the cell for him. They didn't like it when he just muscled the door open, for some reason. They were very big on him waiting for other people to unlock doors here. Which was stupid because they kept putting locked doors and walls between him and where they wanted him to be, but he was trying to co-operate, no matter how difficult they made things. He would just get the water, make his way back to his cell and wait for someone to open the door for him. 

Odd, he didn't remember a tunnel on the way to the showers before. 

"Hi, I was just looking for the showers this time." 

The halls looked like institutional-type halls. Hopefully that meant he hadn't wandered out of the detention center. They really needed to mark the exits more clearly if they were going to make such a big deal out of him getting lost. It wasn't like he was doing it on purpose. 

Still this place gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to get out of there, but it looked like the right set of halls and he was trying to take his punishment for what happened. 

Ryoga turned into a room and stopped dead in his tracks. He hated it when he ended up here but he could never bring himself to turn around and walk out. He went and sat in the windowsill beside the chair. 

"Hey Ranma. You're hair's almost long enough to braid again." Nervously Ryoga reached out and brushed the strands of black away so he could see Ranma's eyes. He always made himself do this, he knew what had happened wasn't Ranma's fault and this was his real punishment for making things worse. 

Ryoga stared into glazed blue eyes that didn't focus, what he saw in them redefined hell. After a few minutes he started talking about anything he could think of, all the while searching for some sort of reaction, a sign that Ranma was even vaguely aware that someone was talking to him. 

Several hours later one of the orderlies called the detention center and asked them to send a car over. 

Shampoo fiddled with the ends of her hair distractedly. It seemed wrong, the three of them, here in the Tendo Dojo, together, planning strategy with the mercenary girl. Of course it was more Nabiki's style of challenge. Great Grandmother could have handled it, but Cologne had given up. When Shampoo tried to bring up Ranma Cologne just talked about her older sister Barrette and said it was probably for the best. Shampoo scowled; it was not for the best, it was the worst. 

If Nabiki's plane didn't work she was going to smash through the sanitarium wall and take her husband back by force… only she didn't know where she'd go after that. Great Grandmother wouldn't help, the village wouldn't take them in and she didn't know how to act around Ranma any more. Nabiki's plan had better work. 

Ukyo sat to Shampoo's left. The Okonomiyaki Chef's knuckles were white as she twisted her battle spatula between her hands. The spatula girl was always angry these days; a dull, smoldering anger that had very little in common with Akane's fiery temper. For the first time Shampoo could picture Ranma's so call 'cute fiancée' devoting her life to vengeance for ten long years. 

As for the former violent girl… Akane sat beside her sister and watched something outside the window. 

Kasumi came in with tea and a tray of snacks. When she went to pour Shampoo's tea, the Amazon girl loudly whispered. "Kitchen destroyer on happy pills? Ancient Amazon potion has same use with less side effects." 

Akane frowned then got up and wandered to the far side of the room. 

"Akane always took after Father most strongly." Kasumi said quietly. 

"What's that mean?" Ukyo demanded. 

Nabiki's reply was harsh and bitter. "That she's overly emotional, unstable and she just doesn't cope very well. Getting Ranma's practically dead body out of that hole was all that she could handle. Now if I want to fix her I've got to fix him. When we go talk to the idiots, you two just shut up and look pretty. They won't listen to some bimbo who can't learn to talk right and Kuonji, you keep on threatening them and you're going to end up in a room beside Ranma's. If you do, don't expect me to get you out." 

"Now we go for baby steps. Today we don't want them to let Ranma go, we just want them to lighten up on the drugs. They're supposed to be helping Ranma, but how can he get better when all that coward of a shrink does is keep his dosage high enough to ensure that the lights are on but no one's home." 

"I wish Dr. Tofu were here. He always made everything all better." Akane commented in a child-like tone. 

The other three girls stared at her. Kasumi smiled. "Yes, it really would be better if Ranma were seeing someone with a more exotic background. Dr. Tofu isn't a psychiatrist, but I'm sure he could recommend someone less - nervous." 

"That might actually work." Nabiki said. "It might take a while to track down Tofu and get things arranged, but Dr. Chicken Shit won't complain if we find someone to take Ranma off his hands."


	8. Rebuilding

**Rebuilding** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

"I'm going back." The slight redhead girl insisted. 

The giant panda walking beside her blocked her attempt to retreat. The pair paused to exchange blows. The panda came off decidedly worse. Head held high the girl started back in the direction from which she'd come. 

"Dear, you've gone back for hot water six times already. It's still overcast and you know as soon as you get some it will start raining again." An older version of the girl sighed. "You said you could handle being out in your girl-form again." 

The girl gave her mother a sulky look then turned toward their destination. 

The people watching might have noted something unusual about the way the younger girl moved but déjà vu has a way of obscuring details. 

**Eleven Months Earlier**

Soun and Nabiki stood at the airport. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Soun asked. 

"Smile and wave Daddy." Nabiki ordered; her teeth were clenched. 

Akane hesitated at the door of the plane. Soun followed instructions and his youngest took the last step inside. "You're absolutely sure?" 

"Dr. Tofu's friend will take over Ranma's case next week. Akane's hopes will skyrocket, when he doesn't snap right out of it she'll crash, again. She's been penpals with her host family's daughter since jr. high. The cultural exchange program is just the distraction she needs to give the new doctor a chance to get some results." Nabiki explained tersely. 

"The other two girls are staying…" 

"Visiting Ranma is a waste of time. He doesn't know they're there. He doesn't care. It's better for Akane if she doesn't." Nabiki snapped. 

"I feel awful about what happened. I'm trying to do what you tell me to." Ryoga told the stern looking panel. "But you're not very fair. You know Ranma didn't do anything wrong but you won't even give him the chance to get better. And you expect me to make it back to my cell by lights out when the cafeteria is all the way in Kyoto." 

The member of the panel exchanged glances. The lost boy was completely sincere. He always came back after he 'escaped'. The other inmates who made use of the holes he tended to leave in his wake did not. It was even more disconcerting when he simply disappeared without leaving holes. 

"We're placing you on probation. Normally there would be a probation officer you'd have to check in with, but in your case we're giving you a letter explaining things. Whenever you find a police station stop in and show it to them. They'll check to make sure you aren't carrying firearms. Kami-sama knows if you ever tried to hide something you'd probably fall off the face of the earth." 

Ukyo stopped just outside the door. She wanted to be hopeful but Shampoo's comments couldn't be trusted. The Amazon was so determinedly optimistic it got downright annoying. Kasumi was worse than Shampoo about that sort of thing, even if the eldest Tendo girl did manage to do it without being aggravating. Nabiki wouldn't come anywhere near this place; she claimed that the time could better be spent doing something constructive. If Ukyo wanted to know the truth she had to see for herself. 

The Okonomiyaki Chef couldn't visit as much as she liked, between the restaurant and making sure her visits never coincided with the Saotomes'… She really did want to kill someone and the panda was always a tempting target but the jackasses who ran this place gave Ranma's parents final say in who could visit. They hadn't exercised that right yet, but Ukyo didn't want to tempt them. 

Still if what Shampoo said… If this new doctor did make things better… 

Ukyo took a deep breath and opened the door. Nothing was different. She sighed then sat down beside Ranma. "Hi Ranchan. Sorry I don't stop by more often, but you know how your dad and I get on. He's really monopolizing…" Ukyo stopped. Ranma had turned toward the sound of her voice and his eyes focused on her. 

"Ranchan?" Ukyo asked with renewed hope. 

Ranma's eyes expressed frustration, but it didn't matter, for the first time in months he was looking outward, instead of being trapped in his own nightmares. 

Genma watched his son work his way through a basic kata. Objectively it was awful but Genma was grinning like an idiot. 

"That was wonderful dear." Nodoka exclaimed as she hugged her son tightly. 

Ranma rolled his eyes, his expression made it clear that he didn't share her opinion. Genma shrugged, still smiling. "That's how mothers are supposed to be. I told you she'd be a detriment to training." 

"Keep talking and I'll put you on a diet, husband." Nodoka warned. They'd come to an understanding: Nodoka hadn't dealt with motherhood at all well and something had needed to be done but Genma had used her problems as an excuse to do exactly what he wanted to, Ranma's well-being had been a secondary concern at best. They were both working on their faults. 

Dr. Soy called Nodoka and Genma away for a conference. Ranma shrugged and went back to practicing. 

An hour later Genma came back by himself. He waited for Ranma to finish then said. "Your doctor says it might help if you'd talk to someone about what happened." 

Ranma turned away and stared across the courtyard. 

"Please talk to me." Genma said. "You know me, boy. Maybe it doesn't mean as much as it should, but nothing that happened will change how I think of you." 

"I'll always be your meal ticket, right?" Ranma replied without expression. 

Genma grimaced. "Has anyone told you your sense of humor is becoming inappropriate?" In truth Genma couldn't tell what really bothered his son anymore or maybe Genma was just more worried about what might bother Ranma. 

Ranma continued to avoid looking at his father, when he spoke his voice was flat and toneless. "When she sends me flying I try to angle for the cannel. It's a soft landing." 

"You don't need the cushion to land a fall." 

"I know, but water finds me anyway. It seemed like a good idea just to get it over with up front. I forgot what the weather had been like." 

_It was so cold; the freezing water stole the breath from his lungs as it changed his body. It seeped into her muscles and bones and sapped her strength as effectively as any moxibustion point. _

Ranma dragged herself out of the water and collapsed on the bank for a few minutes trying to get her breath back and to stop shaking long enough to climbed back onto the road. She was just a few meters from the bridge she liked to sit under when she needed a break from the insanity of her life. 

"Wet silk doesn't hold much heat and I didn't exactly have a chance to grab my shoes before I left the house. The pavement was like ice; my feet were getting frostbitten. I could have walked home but it was would have hurt a lot. 

"When I saw them I smiled, like I do when I'm trying to get free food. I just wanted some place to dry off, maybe borrow a coat and some shoes for the walk home." 

_"Who'd leave a pretty little think like you out in the cold?" _

"She's probably a runaway." The hushed whisper was accompanied by a look that made the hair on the back of Ranma's neck stand on end. Still she was Saotome Ranma, they weren't even martial artists, what could they do to her? 

"My apartment's just a little further." 

"Here, let me carry you, you don't look so good." 

"The apartment's just on the next block." 

"I'd offer to lend you my shoes, but then who'd carry me? I'm bigger than you are." 

"We're almost there." 

"Drink this, it'll warm you right up." 

"Let's get you out of those wet clothes." 

"No? Have another drink, you'll feel better." 

"I bet you feel like you're wrapped in ice with those clothes on. Don't worry, there's a blanket around here somewhere that you can wrap up in." 

"Hey relax, relax. It's just a massage. You've got some pretty nasty patches of frostbite. It'll help get the blood flowing." 

"I didn't even think about what I was drinking. It was warm, what else mattered?" 

"After a while everything sort of faded out. Then one of them was touching me between my legs. I hit him, but nothing worked like it should have." 

"If I'd gone full out then I probably could have killed them. One burst of adrenalin; I wouldn't have had much control but I could have finished it like that. You know it takes a lot less control to smash someone's skull than to just knock them unconscious… I was seven the first time you showed me an attack that was meant to kill a person, remember? You said it was a last resort move, that I could only use it if I knew someone was going to die and the only thing left to do was decide who. You said only use it if I wasn't good enough to deal with the situation some other way. I thought I was good enough; they weren't even martial artists, I should have won no matter how out of it I felt." 

"I didn't trust myself to knock them out without killing them, so I ran. That they weren't martial artist didn't matter much after another twenty minutes out in the cold and me half-naked." 

_Their voices sounded like baying dogs. The moonlight turned the world into a place of stark contrasts; icy illumination and pitch-black shadows. Running hurt, the frozen pavement sent knives of pain shooting through Ranma's bare feet, up into her legs, with every step she took. The drink and exposure screwed with her head. Ranma stumbled; her knees jarred brutally against the pavement. Roof hopping was out of the question. She was so tired, her reserves were empty and the night air leached away what little strength she had left. _

The chase only intensified her pursuers' excitement. Mob mentality had taken hold of them. The need to catch her took on a life of it's own. It fed on itself and burned hotter than the lust and anger that had spawned it. 

Ranma turned into a park. The grass and dirt beneath her feet was more forgiving than the pavement. Her pace picked up and she started to believe she'd loose them. A hand grabbed her pigtail and jerked her backwards. 

Ranma shouted, outraged and furious, as she fell. Before she could regain her feet a belt was looped around her neck and pulled tight. 

"They strangled me. I couldn't breath. I couldn't fight. I didn't pay attention to what they were doing, I just clawed at that damn belt." 

"It hurt like nothing else." 

_Her body convulsed with pain and shock. For a moment the belt pulled free of her captors' hand. She had air, but all she could think to do was scream. Then the belt was pulled tight again. _

It was like being in the pit again: Everything around him wanted to hurt him and he was helpless to stop them. 

"I blacked out. When I came to I was throwing up so hard that I tore something in my throat. The next day I saw the story in the paper about those guys. I knew I was the one who killed them. Sometimes I wish I'd just killed them right off. Sometimes I wish I'd passed out and drowned in the canal. Sometimes I wish I hadn't come out of the Nekoken afterwards. Doesn't do any good, doesn't change anything. Even if they weren't dead, it wouldn't mean anything if I went back and fought them again, I still lost when it mattered." 

"Kuno stalks both me and Akane; she's got Gosunkugi and Ryoga after her too. Maybe Ryoga can be trusted, he helped when I lost my strength, but he plays P-Chan. I don't know, he tried to protect her, I want to trust him, he's my friend, sort of. Ucchan has Tsubasa. Shampoo has, had that damn Ghost Cat chasing her… I ain't sure what to think of Mousse, he's persistent and he ain't honorable, but he only attacks me to impress Shampoo. We all got people just waiting to catch us when we're vulnerable and it ain't really that hard to do. Sentaro's wimp and he still managed to drug me; I woke up at his place in a wedding kimono, didn't think it could have been a lot worse back then." 

"Focusing on looking out for the girls, making sure they didn't get hurt like that, it helped. I couldn't stop thinking about it, but that way it felt like I doing something to make it better. I kept going cat though. K'so, I remember how scared Ryoga smelled" 

Ryoga had a bad feeling that, for once, he did know where he was but when his path brought him here he never turned back. 

He opened the door and his eyes met Ranma's across the room. Ranma tried to jump to his feet and ended up on the floor. Ryoga hovered in the doorway, a heartbeat from fleeing. 

"You're awake." Ryoga stammered. 

Ranma made a disgusted sound as he got to his feet. "Sit, over there." He instructed as he pointed to a chair on the far side of the room. 

"I didn't think the junk they were giving you to keep you from going cat would let you wake up." Ryoga explained. 

"New doctor, new drugs. This stuff fucks up my reflexes but I can think straight." 

"That sucks." Ryoga remembered the detention center's brief attempt at curtailing his abilities with chemicals and how it just fueled his Shi Shi Hokodan. 

"Doc's not that bad. She's a friend of Dr. Tofu's and she lived with some Mongolian Druids for a few years so she's weird enough to make me feel comfortable. She told me to think about it as a martial arts exercise, it really is sort of like that harness the old ghoul used when I was learning the "Soul of Ice". I can override the drugs if I stay focused. Stay there." 

Ryoga watched Ranma walk toward the bathroom. "What are you doing?" 

"Getting some water. I'm supposed to… what'd she call it? Get re-acclimated to being around guys in my girl-form." Ranma relied. "You heal fast right? The drugs are supposed to screw me up if I go cat, but I haven't tested that yet." 

"That's not funny Ranma!" 

"I know." Ranma shrugged and dumped a glass of water over his head. He shrunk several inches and her body filled out in a few places. "It should work. As long as I'm being deliberate I'm fine, but when I just act the messages get out of order. I end up on the floor. Everything is instinct when I go cat." 

"Everything you do normally is impulse." Ryoga pointed out. 

Ranma grimaced. "Not anymore. Stay over there." The slight redhead perched on the windowsill. "Where have you been?" She produced a shaky grin. "Right, you can't answer that. What did you see? They let me work out in the courtyard, but that's as far as they let me go." 

"I'm sorry." Ryoga said. 

"Life's not fair. I'm going to win anyway. What did you see?"


	9. Restoration

**Restoration** Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun. 

**Four Months Prior**

Ranma watched the approaching girl out of the corner of his eye but he overtly ignored her presence until he'd finished the workout he'd planned for the day. 

"Akane, hi." 

"Hey." Akane took a seat on a bench near the entranceway. She stared at her feet. Several minutes passed. 

"If your dad's making you come I won't mention it to anyone if you stop." Ranma said when the silence became too uncomfortable. 

"Daddy isn't making me come." 

Ranma waited. "Well if you're going to keep showing up, you might as well **talk** to me." 

"I don't want to risk us getting in an argument. I'll loose my temper, you could get hurt." 

Ranma quietly increased the distance between them. "I don't break that easily." 

"How can you say that after what happened?" 

Ranma's fists clenched. "I **used** to **let** you hit me. It was the quickest way to get you over being angry. I'm not going to do that anymore." 

"You couldn't stop me right now." 

Ranma's nails dug into his palms. "K'so! Then why don't you learn to control your own stupid temper?" He paused then smirked poisonously and added. "We both know there's nothing **cute** about your temper." 

Anger, quickly chased by guilt flashed across Akane's face. She fled the courtyard. 

Ranma knew she'd be crying in a few seconds. He sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest. "What are you going to do if she doesn't come back?" He whispered. 

"Nihao Ranma." Shampoo gave the boy a quick hug while Mousse grumbled. "Brought Duck-boy for practicing." 

"Thanks. Hey Mousse, wanna spar?" 

Ranma grinned at the horrified expression on Mousse's face. "A joke. I've been doing paired katas with Pop but that's as much as I want to push it." Ranma didn't tell Mousse that the inherent unpredictability in a real spar would probably defeat him. "What did ya bring?" 

"Is called Risk." Shampoo said. 

"The goal is to conquer the world." Mousse said. 

"Big surprise. Shampoo, ya ever notice he's got some odd interests?" 

"You win more often than I do." 

"Hey, I'm saving the world from you." Ranma replied. 

"Let's just play." Mousse said. 

"I'll go get the water, you guys set up." Ranma said. 

Forty minutes later. 

"Ah-ha! I control Iceland. Soon all of Europe will fall!" 

"Stupid Mousse, Ranma's army not defeated." 

"You always take his side." Mousse sulked. 

"Put on your glasses, then you can count the spots on the dice for yourself." Ranma said. "My one army is worth ten of yours." 

"Next turn I shall return and overwhelm your position." 

"That what Mousse say last time, but too busy replenishing forces lost to Shampoo in South America." 

"Why don't you attack him from Africa for once?" Mousse suggested. "We're both going to loose if Ranma keeps all of Asia." 

"Shampoo like Ranma better." The lavender-haired girl replied blithely. 

"Shampoo! How could you?" 

"Next time you could bring Ukyo." Ranma offered. 

"So they can both gang up on me with you?" Mousse asked. 

"Ucchan's competitive." Ranma said. 

"So's Shampoo. The best I could hope for is that they'd both ignore me and attack one another." 

"Shampoo and Ranma rule world together." Shampoo declared. 

"I guess if you could find Bacon-breath…" 

"Is Ranma sure?" Shampoo asked, suddenly serious. 

"Yeah, I'm not going to freak out, but you're on my side." 

"I think I'm getting the worst of this arrangement." Mousse commented. 

"Yep, Shampoo agrees." 

"Cologne wanted us back by the lunch rush." Mousse said. "We'll have to finish tomorrow." 

"Mousse go. Shampoo catch up later." 

"But!" Mousse protested. 

Shampoo sighed. "Won't be long." 

Ranma went to get some hot water. 

"Go or get kicked out. Shampoo going to talk." 

"Fine." 

Shampoo waited for the door to slam. "Ranma do okay. Shampoo didn't see difference between when you boy-type or girl-type." 

"One of the nurses pointed out guys can get raped too; like that was supposed to help." 

"Ranma really be okay with both pig-boy and Mousse here?" 

"I'll never get out of here if I can't deal with being around more than one guy at a time." 

"How are you doing boy?" Genma asked. 

"Why don't you tell me?" Ranma said confidently then walked to the center of the courtyard and started one of the most difficult katas he knew. 

Genma watched. Each movement flowed smoothly into the next. Ranma was precise but not mechanical, his expression was one of intense focus, still he was smiling. When he finished Genma shrugged. "You could have picked a more challenging pace." 

"Like you could do better old man." Ranma laughed. "Even doped to the gills I did it right and you know it." 

Ranma spotted Dr. Soy hanging back n the shadow of the doorway while he talked with his father. "Hey Doc! What'd they say? Can I stop taking the crap and go home?" 

"Ranma…" 

"No! What more do they want from me? I spent a fucking hour in a room with Kuno Tatewaki; age seventeen, blah, blah, blah, while in girl-form and I didn't even try to kill him. You wanted to hit him after the first fifteen minutes. And he wasn't even trying to get a date with you. Do ya want me to have the girls drag Happosai back here? What do I have to!?" 

"Ranma, stop it." The doctor said tiredly. "When we asked you to hold a cat you screamed and fainted. The potential still exists that…" 

"I've been like that since I was ten years old! It's normal, I never killed anyone until… you know." Ranma argued. "I'm in control, I'm not overreacting anymore, I'm normal for me. Geeze, I was restrained with Kuno. If I hadn't been trying to prove a point I would have knocked him out after the first minute or so." 

"I know, but you have no idea how badly you scare people. Ranma, as best as we can determine you killed those six bastards in a matter of seconds using just your bare hands. And you entered that fight at a severe disadvantage. The police aren't sure they could stop you if you lost control, even if they were willing to shoot you." 

"They can't keep me here if I don't want to stay. I could walk out right now and no one would stop me. Once your stupid drugs ware off there's no way they'd get me back." 

"I know and I'm trusting you not to do that. That's why I never mentioned it when their security precautions became worthless almost two months ago." 

Ranma turned and smashed his fist into a concrete bench; it shattered. He stalked away, several seconds later they heard a door slam. 

"Sometimes I wish I'd never found that manual." Genma said quietly. "But if Ranma hadn't known the cat-fist… I don't think they would have been satisfied until they'd killed him. Soun is well respected, perhaps if he talked to them. At this point I'd even considered recognizing Shampoo's claim, I doubt they'd object to her taking the boy out of the country." 

"Let me think about how to ease Ranma's ailophobia before anyone resorts to desperate measures." 

"Get the hell out of my way Tendo!" 

"Ukyo, what do you think you're going to do? This won't help. We have to be reasonable." Nabiki protested. 

"I'm going to go down there and I'm going to **reason** with those jackasses!" Ukyo hefted a bag of exploding flour to demonstrate what she meant by 'reason with'. 

Mousse and Shampoo each grabbed an arm and forcibly sat the enraged Okonomiyaki Chef down. 

"We don't go around randomly beating people up!" Nabiki exclaimed. 

"Sure we do." Ukyo replied. 

"Not when they're members of the city council, judges, the like. You don't pick fights with non-martial artists." 

"Mercenary Girl is right. This not the way." Shampoo said. "Why bother reasoning? We take Ranma, let lost boy lead until no hope of being followed then we live happily ever after." 

"You're right, Ryoga could get us out of the country but we should get some funds together first and I'll bring my grill." 

"Shampoo get supplies for Ranma." 

Both girls left with plans on how to loose the other without Ryoga or Ranma noticing until it was too late. 

It was the middle of the night. It had been six hours. The chair shoved under the door handle was a strong indicator that Ranma didn't want to talk to anyone. 

He hadn't been bluffing when he said he could leave if he chose to. He'd learned to keep dozens of alternate plans in his head at any minute. Cologne, Happosai, Pantyhose, Ryoga and his pop would beat him in a fight. Shampoo and Soun would probably take him two times out of three. Ukyo and Mousse might win, anyone beneath their level wouldn't last long enough for the handicap placed on him to become crippling. 

Once he could leave the minor details to muscle memory again he'd be better than ever. The next time Pantyhose came by it was going to be fun… 

Except they weren't going to let him go and the Doc had to go and put it on his honor not to run. He had to get control of over the Nekoken, by definition the Nekoken wasn't controllable. Saotome Ranma didn't loose. 

They weren't happy with him getting things back to the way it had been. He was going to have to do better. 

Ranma focused inward. The Nekoken was a mesh of gray floating under the surface of his mind, closer to the surface than it ever had been before. He prodded at it. It was survival instincts and power and not much else. It was folded up and tucked away right now but it was waiting for him to need it then it would wrap around him like a blanket, velvet on the inside steel-wool on the outside. 

There was nothing to stop him from controlling it. In the pit he'd just wanted something to protect him. Now he wanted control. He wanted to protect himself, not to depend on anything else. He wasn't going to run away. He wasn't going to loose. 

"Mr. Saotome, I… your son had… Ranma went into the Nekoken last night. There was no trigger. We tried activating his curse; we tried sedating him. His condition remains unchanged." 

"Akane." Genma stated. "She can bring him out of it." 

"She calms him down. The sedative should have done the same thing." 

"You could try using her." 

"You know he can be dangerous. They fought the last time they talked and if she gets close enough to touch him he could kill her with a swipe of his hand." 

"They always fight, it doesn't mean anything." 

"Maybe it does now." 

"I don't care." 

"What if Ranma does care and your friend Soun might object to endangering his daughter. We're not going to let anyone go inside that room." 

"Ranma always comes out of it, you'll see." 

"Maybe Ranma will come out if when he falls asleep naturally, but he is the only person I've heard of who ever recovered. Elder Cologne arranged for me to talk to a member of the Musk's feline sect, they created the Nekoken. None of the children they put through the process ever regained their human personas. I've hypothesized that it didn't take as firmly in Ranma's case, because he isn't genetically part cat. Still the fact that he went under while he was alone in a sealed room worries me." 

"Uncle Saotome, could you teach me the Umisenken?" 

"That technique is sealed Akane." 

"I want to see Ranma; they won't let me." Akane said. "I want to help." 

Genma hesitated. "I'd teach you if I could. Akane, you might be able to leave a ki-blast. All you have to do is find a dominant emotion and channel it. The umisenken is different; you have to be able to control your ki. All of your emotions have to be under your control." 

"Good, I've got to learn to do that anyway. When can we start?" 

**Present**

"Ranma! I'm so glad you're back!" Soun exclaimed enfolding the slight redhead in an enthusiastic hug. Ranma's muscles went rigid. Soun quickly released him. "Um, sorry about that." 

"It's okay." 

Nabiki looked Ranma over. "So, how'd you change their minds?" 

"Went through the cat-fist training again. I didn't loose my head." 

Genma laughed and slapped his son on the shoulder. "The hardest thing about the training was keeping the cats in the room long enough to convince them that the boy wasn't afraid." 

"What was wrong with the cats?" Nabiki asked. 

Ranma stared into her eyes. "They were terrified of me." Nabiki gulped. Ranma's pupils were slitted, like a cat's. 

"I got here as quickly as I could!" Ryoga panted. "Am I too late for the party?" 

Akane groaned. Shampoo stomped out of the dojo and grabbed Ryoga's ear. "Stupid lost boy, was supposed to be surprise party!" 

"I'm glad it's you rather than me." Mousse commented to Ryoga then turned to Ranma. "Hey Ranma." 

"Hi Mousse." 

"Well Ranma, once again you've managed to surprise and impress me." Cologne said. "Congratulations on mastering the Nekoken." 

"Thanks." 

"Ranchan, the food's getting cold, and the weight is warping the table." Ukyo said. She loosely wrapped an arm around Ranma's waist as she dumped hot water over his head. "Kasumi, Shampoo and I all cooked." She leaned close and whispered. "Don't worry, we put Akane in charge of decorating." 

Akane stuck her tongue out at Ukyo as she claimed Ranma's other side. "Welcome home, Ranma." 

The End (Thank goodness, I was getting tired of this story)


End file.
